


The Long Way Home

by verilymerrily



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Captain Rex/Ahsoka, Drama & Romance, Friends to Lovers, Gen, POV CT-7567 | Rex, Post-Star Wars: Rebels, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Rebels Ahsoka, Rebels Rex, Work In Progress, rexsoka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24163840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verilymerrily/pseuds/verilymerrily
Summary: A series of short stories about Captain Rex's long journey home. Set after The Clone Wars season 7 finale, all the way to ROTJ. Rex/Ahsoka :)
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 95
Kudos: 273





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter was written while listening to the "Burying the Dead" track of the Clone Wars soundtrack. Listening to this track while reading is highly recommended! :)

“Commander, we have to go.”

If the girl had heard him he couldn’t tell; Ahsoka didn’t move one inch, her eyes fixed on their comrades’ graves. The cold wind blew relentlessly against them, smoke and dust mingling in the air, and Rex moved closer.

“Commander…”

His chest tightened at the sight of her. The girl’s eyes were downcast and a stream of tears ran down her cheeks silently, removing dirt and soot in their path. Suddenly, she seemed so _young_ ; no longer the fierce padawan of the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, no longer a Commander of the Republic. Just a girl who was barely a woman, and had seen just too much death and suffering in her short years.

Her lightsaber lied neglected on the ground and he frowned at the meaning of this act. 

Not a Jedi. _Never_ a Jedi.

_And where does that leave me?_ he thought, bitterly. His brothers were dead and buried, right in front of him, and a dark future awaited for the rest that had followed General Skywalker to Coruscant…

He clenched his jaw. Could he still call himself a Captain of the Republic? What army was he even fighting for now? And Ahsoka, was she still his Commander now that their world had fallen apart?

_No, that’s out of the question_ , he thought stubbornly. _There’s one thing I know for certain and I’m making my choice now._

She was his Commander, period. That single aspect of his life wouldn’t change, no matter what, and he drilled this idea in his mind, for whatever reassurance it could give him in their current path of uncertainty.

Still… right now…

“Ahsoka…” he spoke, as softly as he could. “We need to get moving…”

Hearing her name, the girl seemed to break from whatever trance she had fallen into and turned to look at him. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her tears. “It’s just that…” Clumsily, she tried to dry her face using her cape, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling.

He pulled her closer, and as the girl hid her face in his armored chest, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on the top of her montrals.

“Don’t try to be so strong, kid,” he whispered, and let her sob quietly against his armor. “Believe me, in the end it doesn’t work.”

A single tear ran down his cheek, but Rex just let it flow. Suddenly, he felt tired, exhausted, _broken_ , his head pulsing painfully where the inhibitor chip had been removed. It was all like a bad dream… the betrayal… the escape… that he had been _so close_ to killing his dear friend still made him tremble, and the fierce determination of his brothers shook him to his core. _We fought and died for the Republic, and in return we became nothing but mindless droids…_ They had spent the better part of three hours looking for survivors in the crash, dragging corpse after corpse until they had no choice but to admit that everyone aboard the Venator star destroyer had perished. It was heartbreaking; Ahsoka had been so hopeful that whoever they found, they would be able to somehow locate the chip and try to save them, and like a child he had allowed himself to actually _believe_ that it was possible. He sighed. All they had found was death.

The girl had stopped shaking in his arms and he took one minute to assess their current status. They were covered in dirt, soot and blood, his armor scratched beyond recognition, her muscles bruised; a nasty wound on his left shoulder, laser burns on her back and right leg.

“Ahsoka,” he whispered. “We really can’t stay here much longer. We have to go.”

“Where?” came her reply, and he tried to look her in the eye but her face was still buried in his chest. “Where are we going, Rex? There’s nowhere to go…”

He put his hands on her shoulders, motioning her to finally look at him. “It’s a big galaxy, kid. We _will_ find a place.”

Slowly, hesitantly, she raised one hand and cupped his face, her big blue eyes examining him intently. It was just a brief moment but it frightened him nevertheless, the memory of their connection through the Force returning to every cell of his body. He didn’t like that feeling; it was too holy, too _pure_ for a clone like him, and it made him feel immeasurably small, as if his very soul surrendered to the touch of this child blessed by the Force. She frowned, perhaps sensing his discomfort, and he realized that she was not crying anymore.

“Your face will give you away, Rex,” she whispered. “They will know that you are a rogue clone and then never let you go.”

She removed her hand and he trembled slightly at losing their connection. Her face was now a mask of determination. 

“And they will hunt me down, as they will all the Jedi,” she said solemnly, turning around and walking towards their Y-wing.

_Where are we going, Rex?_

_Home,_ he would’ve liked to tell her, as he followed her silently.

But he didn’t know where home was anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

When was the last time that he had felt so… _frustrated?_

Was it when he had to explain Ahsoka that his brothers were willing to die just to follow their orders and kill them both?

No. It was probably back when he found Echo wired to the Techno Union’s computer, as if he was nothing more than living brain tissue to fulfill their schemes.

Or maybe it was even before.

 _Yes_ . It was definitely when Crosshair, the clone sniper from the Bad Batch, had suggested that he had _chosen_ to abandon Echo for dead in the Citadel. 

As if he even _had_ a choice in that matter. 

Arms crossed, he observed quietly as Ahsoka moved about dividing rations and all kinds of provisions in two equal parts. He retorted to the best of his military training to control himself and not just blurt out what he _really_ thought about this whole idea. He counted to ten, to one hundred, to a thousand, and the fact that his chin felt itchy like hell thanks to the beard of recent weeks didn't help at all. It had been a necessary evil, just like his hair, short for most people’s standards but impossibly long for his taste; the former Captain Rex needed to disappear and blend with the rest of the population, or risk being recognized by one of the frequent trooper patrols.

Shortly after leaving the moon where the Venator destroyer had crashed, they had received General Kenobi’s distress call, warning all remaining Jedi against returning to the temple on Coruscant. The news chilled their blood; clone troopers had attacked the temple that fateful day when Order 66 was issued, Rex's own brothers murdering Jedi, padawans, even the younglings. Once again, the cold, unquestioning _obedience_ of the clones made him feel disgusted. 

Whatever happened to General Skywalker was a mystery, though when they stopped for provisions on one of the smaller planets in the Outer Rim, word was that there were no survivors amongst the Jedi Knights commanding the Army of the Republic. The idea of General Skywalker succumbing to the betrayal of his men felt almost ridiculous to him, but Rex almost had no choice than to believe that his commanding officer - Ahsoka’s own master - had found his death on Coruscant.

The worst came later, though, when some of the surviving Jedi who hadn’t received the warning in time, travelled back to the temple. Rumors said that most of them had been killed, but the rest had been turned to the dark side, a fate probably worse than death as Ahsoka had explained. But he didn't quite understand what falling to the dark side really meant until just recently, after their latest _encounter_. 

They always thought that they would be chased down by clone troopers; turns out that the new Emperor had sent his own Force-sensitive agents trained to hunt - and kill - the remaining Jedi.

It wasn’t pretty when they almost found themselves face to face with one of such creatures, and from a certain point of view they had been really, really lucky. There was another surviving padawan in town, a boy in his late teens who made the grave mistake of keeping his lightsaber with him. He fought valiantly and was mercilessly killed in the market, just a street away from the place Rex and Ahsoka were using as a refuge. They watched the entire scene with their own eyes, and by the time any of them could even react, the boy and his two companions were already dead on the ground. Ahsoka had desperately dragged Rex back into the building, though he didn’t need any convincing to hide; they were absolutely no match for that creature with the red saber, not in their current condition.

The idea that it could’ve been _them_ at the market just minutes earlier made him shiver; he hated that their lives had been spared by pure _luck_. It made him feel utterly helpless.

And now Ahsoka had announced her decision to continue travelling _alone_... 

“Alright, this should be enough,” she said, standing up and dusting her hands on her pants. The girl had neatly packed her things in a small bag and was now pocketing her share of the credits obtained for selling their Y-Wing. 

“So… where are you going?” he asked, as nonchalantly as it was possible.

She shrugged. “Anyplace where I can go unnoticed.”

He catched the matter-of-fact tone of her voice and suddenly realized that she was probably much more prepared to face the outside world than himself. After all, she already had created a new life for herself when she left the Jedi order, while all he knew was how to be a soldier. The thought scared him a little.

“Guess you’re not giving me any clues, then.”

“You know I can’t.”

“Yeah, in case I gave you up.”

She frowned. “Don’t say it like that, you know I trust you.” She hesitated. "Do _you_ trust me?"

He looked at her sharply. Now, what kind of a question was that?

"I trust you with my _life_ , Commander," he answered, teeth greeted. "As you must surely know by now."

She must have sensed the edge of annoyance in his voice, for she lowered her guard a little. 

"Rex, please. I know you don't like this plan, but it is the only way. You have to trust me on this."

"Not liking it is an understatement, kid," he said. "How is it better for you to go alone when all the surviving Jedi are being hunted down like this?"

"You've seen the kind of creatures the Emperor controls,” she insisted. “Did you see what happened to that boy’s friends? I can’t let you… I…” She braced herself. “I don’t want you to get killed just because of _me_ , Rex. As long as we’re together, you will be in great danger.” 

_So that’s what it is._ He sighed. “With all due respect, Commander, I made my choice the moment you removed my inhibitor chip. Protecting you is my primary duty.”

“Then let me put it like this,” she said, hands on her hips. “When word goes around about a Togruta female travelling with a man who looks suspiciously like a soldier, our enemies will _know_ that it is you and me.”

He lowered his eyes, speechless. He hated to admit it, but the girl was right; they’ve been fighting by each other’s side for a very long time and everybody knew about the extreme loyalty the 501st battalion professed to General Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano. 

If they got to him and figured out his identity, they’d _know_ that Ahsoka was probably around if she was still alive. And would his mind be strong enough to resist those creatures and not reveal her location?

Slowly, he reached for his belt and took out one of his blasters.

“Do you remember how to use these?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I think. You gave me a couple of lessons yourself.”

“This is a good one, saved my life in many battles.” He moved closer and placed the blaster in her hand. “Keep it. If I can’t be with you, at least let my weapon protect you.”

She took the blaster and inspected it almost reverently, and for a moment he thought he could see a shadow of sadness passing through her eyes. When she raised her eyes to look at him, though, he saw only resolve.

"I will contact you, Rex," she said. “Wherever you are. I promise.”

"Do _not_ use the Force to find me," he warned her. "Maybe it would be better if I try contacting you."

"If you manage to trace my location, then I would definitely be doing something wrong.” She smiled. “Besides, I don’t need to use the Force; I learned a few tricks as a soldier of the Republic.”

It was very early in the morning when Ahsoka boarded a merchant transport, covered head to toe with her cape. Before she left, she had embraced him tightly and they had remained like that for a few long seconds, not knowing when - or if - they would see each other again. It was overwhelming to realize how much he actually cared for that girl; he had loved his brothers, of course, but they were his family, constant companions since the day he opened his eyes into this warring world. She had no need to befriend a clone, on the other hand, especially as a Jedi in training; but in time she had become his best friend, and after all they’ve been through it was the hardest thing to let her go.

He watched as the transport took off. It would take Ahsoka to an outpost in the nearest planet and then… who knows.

 _May the Force be with you_ , _little’un,_ he thought, and turned back towards the city.

He too had to pack his things and keep on moving, and trust that Ahsoka would find a way to let him know that she was safe.

All he could do was wait.

And hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who have read this story so far, I have outlined a few more chapters so there's still much more to read about Rex and Ahsoka :)


	3. Chapter 3

The man in the mirror looked nothing like Rex. That was the _point_ , he knew, but still… 

He had kept his hair black and short and was sporting a well groomed mustache and beard; he still looked like a clone if you paid close attention and knew what to look for, but for the most part he had been able to go unnoticed and blend with the rest of the people.

It was a good disguise, it had served him well, but in time he had come to hate it. It just brought… too many memories.

Fives… he looked so much like Fives.

Hands firmly planted on the sides of the sink, he bowed his head, fighting back the whirlwind of emotions threatening to overpower him; for a clone engineered for efficiency and cold-blooded temperament, he sure was having a lot of trouble lately dealing with the persistent anguish and frustration. There hadn’t been a single day that his thoughts didn’t go back to his brothers, dead and forgotten in a war that time had proven to be absolutely _pointless_ . And Fives, of all people, the one that he felt was like a _real_ brother to him, who had been shot as a criminal when all he wanted was to uncover the terrible trap contained within the inhibitor chip… his memory haunted him day after day, and his new face was a constant reminder of how Rex had ultimately failed him. _I didn’t believe him_ , he thought bitterly. _I didn’t_ truly _believe him_ , _and he saved my life nonetheless._

No, he wouldn’t use Fives’ appearance to save his skin.

He didn’t deserve it.

Resolute, he reached out and grabbed his shaver; the mustache and beard could stay, he conceded, but that mass of hair would definitely have to go.

As the dark locks slowly abandoned his scalp, he felt as if a heavy weight was being lifted from his shoulders. His characteristic blond hair was long gone but he could now begin to see glimpses of himself, and for a moment he was glad to recover just a little bit of his identity.

Once he finished, he inspected his work critically; he rather liked this new bald appearance, though he could probably let the facial hair grow a little bit longer, for good measure. He had heard the news that the Emperor was beginning to retire some of the first generation clones from his army, replacing them with brand new recruits, so it would be more and more frequent to find his brothers mingling with the population, at least in the planets closer to the Core. But the 501st still kept all of its clone soldiers under the command of Palpatine’s mysterious right hand, so Rex couldn’t risk being recognized by one of his own men.

After all, he was supposed to be dead.

The soft blue light of his intercommunicator blinked on the night table, catching his attention on the mirror reflection. He frowned; his boss wasn’t supposed to call him until much later in the night, when he was done with his drinking and gambling. He never expected to end up working as a bodyguard for one of the thugs that controlled the smaller planets ignored by the Empire, but he figured that it was a good start for someone with his _credentials_. Besides, the Rodian didn’t mind that he was a renegade clone, much on the contrary; he gloated that he only employed the finest men at his service.

Picking up a towel, he dried his head and nape as he walked towards the night table, sitting on the bed as he lazily pressed the button to receive the transmission.

He certainly didn’t expect an encrypted message.

_What?_ He checked again but there was no mistaking it; the incoming message was hidden behind a passcode. _What kind of drunken game is this?_ He cursed inwardly, how was he supposed to know what his boss wanted if he started sending him coded messages?

And then, he noticed the header. 

This wasn’t a message from his boss. In fact, the sender tag was filled with an unintelligible string of random characters. Whoever sent this message had clearly patched themselves into the signal, leaving no trace of their identity.

His heart skipped a beat. 

Could it be…?

He had made a conscious effort to _not_ think about the Togruta girl during the last few months. After the horror that was Order 66, he found that even a battle hardened veteran like himself needed to deal with one pain at a time. 

He swallowed and with trembling hands introduced the only possible passcode that came to his mind. His serial number, CT-7567.

As soon as he finished typing the numbers, the message opened and showed him a long sequence of letters and numbers, making him smile broadly. To anyone else, this message would make absolutely no sense, but not to him; the message was written in one of the Republic codes the 501st used back during the war, and he could read it with ease.

This wasn’t a text message, though. These were _coordinates_.

He jumped from the bed and reached for his datapad, quickly inserting the numbers until the map zoomed in into an isolated planetary system. 

Thabeska. 

Ahsoka was in Thabeska.

He laughed, long and loud, like he hadn’t laughed in months. The girl had done it! She actually managed to trace him and contact him!

Noticing that the sender was awaiting for a reply, he resisted the urge to write her back and inquire about her situation; he knew exactly what this message was and all that was implied.

She was _alive_. That was the most important part of the message.

Also, this was just a test, her first approach at contacting him, and she needed to know if it had been successful.

And finally, it was a warning: they were _too damn close_. 

Thabeska was just a couple of rotations away and he knew immediately that he needed to put more distance between them, as soon as possible. It would be a whole lot easier for him to move further away instead of expecting a surviving Jedi to change locations unnoticed. He didn’t mind; he didn’t really like being a bodyguard, anyway.

Now, he needed to let her know that her message had been received by the intended recipient, without revealing their identities. He was sure that if he replied directly the encrypted message would return to her, but he still needed to be cautious; you never knew when Imperial agents were jamming the signal.

He typed two words; a short, simple message that would hopefully put a smile on the girl’s face.

Roger Roger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there's some controversy out there about whether Rex's hair is naturally blond or if he dyes it. I have my own opinion on this matter, but I tried to leave it to the reader's imagination in this chapter (did he dye his hair black or did he just leave it as is?). Once again, thanks to all the readers! :)


	4. Chapter 4

He got caught. Sort of.

He had been on the move for the last few months, not being able to stay for too long in one place before being forced to move to another due to the increasing imperial presence. It worried him deeply that the Empire was steadily but surely expanding to the smaller planets in the Outer Rim, and each day that passed it was getting more and more difficult to go unnoticed.

Until one day, they found him.

Empire Day. That’s how the former Chancellor Palpatine, now self-proclaimed Emperor, had named this fateful day. The day Order 66 was issued and the entire Grand Army of the Republic was turned into a mindless killing mass, betraying the Jedi Knights they had sworn to serve in battle.

A day of tragedy, but the Emperor had decreed that it should be a day for _celebration_ , for festivities and exultation of the new order that was the Empire. A parade was scheduled later in the day and of course attendance was mandatory; but the population this side of this jungle-covered planet were actually _looking forward_ to this event, if not out of loyalty to the regime, at least for the _entertainment_. 

That made Rex’s blood boil in rage. 

It was the first anniversary of the day he lost his brothers, and he was certainly _not_ going to spend it cheering for the miserable man who orchestrated the downfall of the Republic. 

Of course, he didn’t quite expect to spend it actually _joining_ the Empire, either.

It all happened very fast. The new stormtroopers had been ordered to knock on every door and make sure that everybody moved towards the plaza to listen to the Governor’s speech, but Rex would’ve been damned if those kids pointed a blaster at him and forced him to attend the festivities. There was an abandoned shipyard west of the city where he could easily hide for the rest of the day, and he was already heading over there when he heard the commotion.

“Hey, kid! Whadda ya think you’re doing?”

The threatening tone in that voice made him turn his head. A few steps behind him, a little boy was stretching himself trying to reach a wooden toy that was hanging from a wire on a makeshift stall, reaching out as far as he could until the toy _released itself from its holder and gracefully flew into the boy’s hands_.

Rex witnessed the scene wide-eyed and so did the vendor, an old Toydarian who didn’t seem very pleased with what just happened. Suddenly, the boy’s father ran to his side and protected him, while the Toydarian pointed menacingly at the child. 

“I- I’m sorry,” the man mumbled. “I’ll pay for the toy.”

“Keep yar money! I know what I saw!” the Toydarian insisted. “That brat is one of’em!”

“Please!” the man begged. “He’s just a child, I’ll pay whatever you ask!”

“Yeah, tell that to them troopers!” 

Despite himself, Rex couldn’t avert his eyes; he didn’t know how the Jedi used to discover younglings to be trained in the temple, but even a clone like himself could tell that the child was Force-sensitive. Not good. Especially on a day like this. 

A couple of armored troopers turned around the corner, undoubtedly following the shouts. Rex inspected them quickly and determined that they weren’t clones; they looked like a bunch of amateurs, there was nothing of the clones’ grace and discipline in the way they moved.

“What’s going on here?” asked one of them.

“That brat is a Jedi!” the Toydarian accused.

The troopers shared a look and then regarded the child.

“That’s not true!” the father tried to convince them. “He’s just upset because my boy took a toy from his stall, but I’m willing to pay full price for it.”

The troopers seemed to consider this, but then one of them spoke.

“Sir, you and your child will have to accompany us.”

Rex closed his eyes and his thoughts went back to Ahsoka, alone and hiding in a distant planet. Had she been able to totally suppress her abilities? He hadn’t heard from her for a while now, but he figured that it would be extremely difficult to contact him again with so many imperials roaming around. He sighed. _If they ever find her, I really hope someone steps forward and helps her_ … _like I’m doing right now._

“The man is right, the boy just took the toy, that’s all.”

The stormtroopers turned to look at him as he slowly approached them. 

“Mind yar own business, man!” the Toydarian yelled at him.

“Did you see what happened?” one of the troopers asked him.

“Yeah. And believe me, if the kid had done anything unusual, I would’ve known.”

The trooper observed him for a few seconds and then seemed to realize something. “You’re a _clone_ , aren’t you?”

The boy’s father looked sharply at him and embraced his son even tighter. Rex frowned; there was so much fear in the man’s eyes. _Of course_ , he thought, and his heart sank in his chest. _We clones murdered the Jedi, I would fear for my Force-sensitive son as well._

“Let’s see your identification number,” the other trooper said, motioning to Rex’s wrist. He hesitated just briefly before extending his arm and letting them scan him. _This is when you take your son and get the hell outta here, young man_ , he thought, hoping that the boy’s father would seize the opportunity.

“Yeah, he’s one of the old ones,” the trooper said. “Retired, most likely.”

“Just enjoying myself after a lifetime of battle,” Rex added, grinning.

“Wait, something doesn’t add up,” said the other trooper. “It says here that you’re MIA. You never reported back to Command Center.”

_Damn._

Immediately, the two troopers pointed their blasters at him. “You’ll have to come with us, sir.”

He raised his arms. “Sure, I don’t want any trouble, soldiers.”

“Hey, what about the boy?” the Toydarian insisted.

“Get your payment and be done with it, old man!” one of the troopers said, before speaking into his intercom. “We have a situation on 3rd Street, escorting a probable clone deserter to headquarters now.”

Rex looked at the boy’s father and fortunately he was already paying for the toy and taking his son away. This time when the man looked back at him, there was only gratitude in his eyes. _They’ll probably have to leave this planet,_ Rex thought. _But at least I gave them a head start._

The troopers motioned him to walk and he followed them down the street. Now that he had gotten himself into this complicated situation, he evaluated his options. He couldn’t fight the troopers, there were simply too many soldiers in the city right now to attempt a successful escape; he could try to play along and charm his way out of detention, but he certainly didn’t have General Skywalker’s knack for improvisation. _Whatever I do, I’ll have to figure it out soon…_ Just around the corner, he entered a small building that was currently being used as a center of operations for the imperial forces, and obediently sat down in front of the officer’s desk.

“Captain, sir, this is the clone we were talking about.”

The man nodded and waved his hand dismissively, motioning the troopers to stand on guard next to the door while he idly typed something into his terminal. Rex observed him carefully; the man seemed to be in his early thirties and had the build of a seasoned soldier, but he definitely wasn’t a clone. Where did the Empire recruit people like him for officer positions in such a short time? _Bounty hunters_ , he realized suddenly. _Smugglers… anyone who felt attracted to a generous monthly payment, which is already more than we clones ever got_. 

“CT-7567,” the man read his profile. “Captain Rex. It seems that you’re a dead man.”

_I'm a terrible bluffer,_ Rex thought, _but I really need to get this right._

“Our transport crashed when we were returning to Coruscant, sir. I still don’t know how I survived when all my men are dead.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the man said, and it seemed to Rex that he actually meant it. “It’s strange, though, that you decided to rejoin the world of the living on such a remarkable day.” He looked past Rex towards one of the stormtroopers. “How was it that you found him, soldier?”

“There was an incident with a boy near the market, sir,” the trooper answered. “A merchant accused the boy of being a Jedi, but the clone insisted that it was all a misunderstanding.”

The man chuckled. “A _Jedi_? Did the merchant know how many years it took an apprentice to become a Jedi Knight?”

The trooper shuffled uncomfortably. “We also thought that it would be very unlikely, sir, and then the clone interceded.”

The man’s attention returned to Rex. “Why did you do that?”

“It was a false accusation,” he shrugged. “You know how kids are, the boy didn’t need anything special to reach the hanging toy he wanted so badly.”

"Are you a father, Captain?"

"We clones didn't really have much time for that kind of thing, sir."

"More's the pity. I'm a father of two and I agree with you on this, children can be quite _persistent_ when they want something."

Rex frowned. He had expected to meet an overzealous imperial fanatic, but this Captain seemed quite reasonable so far. _Too_ reasonable. _This man wants something..._

“So, you maintain that there was nothing extraordinary about that boy,” the man insisted.

"I've fought side by side with enough Jedi to know that the kid didn't do anything unnatural, sir."

The man stared at him for a while before finally shaking his head and returning to his terminal. "Alright, that matter is settled then.” He continued reading Rex’s profile. “It says here that you were a member of the 501st battalion. Very impressive. Unfortunately, as a member of the elite corps you don’t meet the criteria for early retirement. I should reassign you back to Coruscant to join the rest of your men."

Rex’s senses were suddenly in full alert. "Not exactly, sir; I was in command of my own division, 332nd Company during the Siege of Mandalore. It was a very last hour assignment, but if you check the records you should find all the details."

He hoped it would be enough. The man frowned and typed something into the terminal. "You're right. It seems like nobody cared to update your profile… Commander."

"Just Captain. My men are gone, sir... I don't really feel like a Commander anymore."

“I see. Well, protocol demands that I report you to Command Center and ship you back to Coruscant for reinstruction. However, you’re clearly not on your prime, so I can _hardly_ send you back to join the elite soldiers.” The man crossed his arms on the desk in front of him and smiled. “On the other hand, I do have a use for you over here, _Captain_. Surely you’ve noticed that I’m in desperate need for an experienced officer to train my men.”

Rex stiffened. He couldn’t possibly mean...

“All clones must serve the Empire for a year, save the seriously injured,” the man continued. “It’s mandatory. The good news is that the war is over, and I’m sure you have much to share with the new recruits in this time of peace. You would retain your rank, though of course you would report to me, as the appointed commanding officer.” He smirked. “You see… commanding some of the most well-trained troopers in the Outer Rim would look _really good_ in my profile, and you will get an official pass into freedom. What do you say?” 

The man stared right into Rex’s eyes and he instantly knew that he was trapped; either he accepted this proposition and dedicated himself to train stormtroopers, or he could just as easily be reported as a deserter, most likely to face a swift execution. He couldn’t care less about his own death, but an idea had started to settle in his mind. _I could find them_ , he thought. _Cody, Wolffe… anyone that’s still alive. Maybe even throw the Empire off Ahsoka’s trail..._

He clenched his jaw; it wasn’t even a plan and it was already very risky, but he wasn’t General Skywalker’s first-in-command for nothing. 

“I… would be honored to be of service, sir,” he finally said, hardly believing the words coming out of his own mouth.

“Excellent!” the man beamed. “A sound decision. You will see, my good Captain, that in no time you will be joining your brothers wherever you clones go when you retire.”

The man stood up and Rex followed him, feeling slightly dizzy. “My men will escort you to the barracks where you will be assigned a private quarter,” he nodded to the troopers. “Rest now, and we will discuss your duties tomorrow, when the festivities are over.”

Rex saluted him, as he knew he must, and a part of him felt nauseous at the thought of submitting to such a scoundrel. If the man perceived his discomfort or not, he couldn’t tell, but he surely seemed to be enjoying this moment.

“Captain Rex,” the man saluted him back. “Welcome to the Empire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't even exist in my original outline and look how long it ended up to be X__x I guess Rex wanted a moment for himself and there were some things mentioned in Rebels that I needed to get out of the way. As always, thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read this story! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Rex rubbed his eyes sleepily.

He remembered the battle of Umbara, when General Krell forced the 501st Legion to march for over twelve hours straight. He’d been exhausted back then, but managed to stay full awake thanks to the stress of the battlefield and the need to give strength to his tired men.

But this… this was draining his energy frighteningly fast.

He was a field officer. He was born and raised for leading men into battle.

Not for writing _reports_. 

Unfortunately, the Empire thrived in its control-driven bureaucracy, and a big chunk of Rex’s work consisted on writing page after page of his daily routine. What battle maneuvers did the new recruits learn? How many hours of shooting lessons, close combat training and munitions practice? And to top it all, he also needed to write intelligence reports about his past experience as a soldier. How many Republic bases could he locate in the Outer Rim? How many fuel recharge outposts? What were the most frequently used hyperspace lanes? Training stormtrooper recruits was already tiring, but all this paperwork made a trip back to Coruscant seem almost like a good idea.

He sighed; he really needed to continue typing. It was already past midnight and he hadn't even completed half of the day's report. 

Shooting lessons at 1100 went down as planned, additional time was allocated to aiming and precision exercises. _Yeah, because these kids can't hit a target even if their lives depended on it,_ he added mentally. True, clones had been engineered to display exceptional abilities in combat, but he just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Imperial soldiers were so poorly prepared in comparison, and to be honest they didn't even seem interested in the military. Why did they join the Empire, to begin with? Was it just for the money? The _status_? As far as he knew, some of the recruits didn’t have much else to do with their lives and decided to try their luck within the Imperial ranks. Others firmly believed that the Empire had brought peace to the galaxy, and even respected him as a _war hero_ , one of many clones who helped bring down the treacherous Jedi. They didn’t know about the inhibitor chip, of course, but Rex didn’t believe that it would make much of a difference for those so firmly convinced of the Empire’s righteousness. 

He shook his head; dealing with the Imperials had tested his patience day after day, but he managed to do his job and train his soldiers as well as he could, or rather, as well as he allowed himself to. He’d been lucky to end up in a relatively calm planet where most of the population actually welcomed the Imperial forces, but he had read the reports from distant planets in the Outer Rim, where the Empire had razed entire villages to the ground, and he would _not_ train these men to become the kind of killing machines that would spread terror throughout the galaxy. Besides, he didn’t need to… clones were already doing the Empire’s dirty work.

The search for his brothers had returned mostly disconcerting news; Cody was still in active service commanding the 212th Battalion, and Rex suspected that he’d been involved in many of the most _effective_ campaigns against the enemies of the new regime. He wondered what happened to him the day Order 66 was issued; as far as he could tell, General Kenobi had initially survived the clones’ attack. Did Cody execute the order? Did he try to resist it and save his General, just as he tried to save Ahsoka? He would’ve liked to send a message and contact his old friend, but it was clear now that the chip’s influence overrode the clones’ personalities, and he wouldn’t take the risk until he was absolutely sure that it wouldn’t backfire on him. 

He scratched his beard, thinking. What had become of Cut Lawquane and his family? He didn’t think that the renegade clone had received the order... had his chip ultimately activate on its own? _I guess as long as he doesn’t encounter any Jedi, he should be fine…_ At least he hoped so, the last thing he needed right now was finding out that tragedy had struck Cut, Suu and their children.

He’d found enough tragedy already, just by checking the old HoloNews records.

As soon as it had been possible, he’d taken the time to catch up on the events that occurred while he and Ahsoka were on the run. When he read about Senator Amidala’s death, he was heartbroken; how many times did he cover up for General Skywalker so that he could have some private time with his wife? Their relationship was totally against the Jedi Code and Rex was all about following rules, but he was also convinced that there must be something inherently _good_ about two people loving each other. If only the Jedi weren’t so strict with their Code, they might have enjoyed more time together during the war... _It doesn’t matter now,_ he thought bitterly _. They’re both dead, and so are all of the Jedi_.

Well. Not _all_ of them.

A certain someone seemed to be catching the Empire’s attention lately, and deep down Rex knew that he was procrastinating on his report, just so he could take a look at the nightly briefing as soon as it hit the Imperial network. Something was happening on the moon of Raada, and to his experienced eyes all signs pointed to the presence of a Jedi, or rather, a Padawan he knew all too well. 

His suspicions were confirmed some forty minutes later, when he received the notification of the incoming transmission and he found the report he was looking for. There had been an attack of some sort, a bunch of farmers had sabotaged Imperial armament and detonated explosives in the barracks, apparently with the aid of an unidentified Force-sensitive being. 

_What’s she doing?_ he asked himself. She was supposed to be hiding in Thabeska, not attracting so much attention to herself. _Well, I was never supposed to join the Empire either, yet here I am…_ He frowned. Ahsoka was smart and he trusted that she knew what she was doing, but the last part of the report set off all his internal alarms.

Additional reinforcements are not to be sent to Raada, a special unit has been specifically assigned to attend to this matter.

_Special unit._ He didn’t like the sound of that.

He closed the report and reclined back in his chair, pondering. He was no Jedi, but he sure as hell had a bad feeling about this...


	6. Chapter 6

The Inquisitor arrived two weeks later.

It had been a rather quiet day in the garrison, the training schedule going smoothly as planned as Rex supervised hand-to-hand combat practice, when they all suddenly _felt_ it; a nauseating sensation, unnatural and _wrong_ . Rex shuddered; he’d fought side by side with the Jedi long enough to become familiar with the peaceful and flowing feeling of the Force in action, and he also remembered the way Maul seemed to exude a raging power barely contained within himself. But this was nothing like it; this felt twisted, _broken…_

The troopers stopped their activities and stood in alert, some of them even gathered closer to Rex, as if his status as a veteran of the Clone Wars gave him some kind of immunity against the gray creature that walked slowly but surely towards them. Rex had seen a similar figure only once, in a market lost in some forgotten planet, but there was a distinctive air of ruthlessness to this man that made him shiver, accentuated by the intentional manipulation of the Force around him. The creature wanted to intimidate them, and he was doing a fine job at that.

The Inquisitorius Program had been one of those things that everybody knew about but only a select few could actually confirm, a mysterious organization in charge of the extermination of any Jedi that survived Order 66. When Rex had tried to gather more information about the Inquisitors, he found that there was nothing related to the program in the Imperial network, no registry of their activities or any mention of their members. It was as if they didn’t exist, but the Red Blades were very real, and as far as Rex could tell, very _efficient_.

Standing just outside the barracks where he’d been relaxing, Captain Varsin put out his cigarra and went out to meet the creature. “Command Center didn’t notify me of your arrival,” he greeted him. 

The Inquisitor stopped right in front of him. “Hardly necessary. I need supplies,” he said, his voice rasping, “and fuel.”

The captain gulped and Rex could read on his face that he was struggling against the creature’s influence. “Of course, sir,” he managed to say. “We’d be happy to be of service.”

Rex lowered his eyes; to the captain’s credit, he didn’t seem _too afraid_ of the creature, and he managed to blurt out a few instructions to his men before gasping for breath once the Inquisitor released his mental grip. He almost felt sorry for the man; Klyn Varsin had once been a prosperous pirate in the Outer Rim, if the colorful stories he told about his past could actually be believed, but nothing in his illegal encounters through the galaxy could’ve prepared him to face a fallen Jedi. _They believe this thing is bad enough_ , Rex realized, observing the terrified troopers around him. _Do they even know that their beloved Emperor is actually a Sith Lord?_ They probably didn’t, ignorant as they were of Chancellor Palpatine’s schemes. The old man had played his cards extremely well, which only made Rex feel even more insignificant, an expendable clone meant to play a small part in the Sith’s master plan. _My brothers died for this_ , he thought, as he looked with disdain at the Imperial crest that adorned the creature’s shoulder bells, a mockery of the Republic sigil they had sworn to serve. _We only existed so that the Emperor could rise to power._

When he realized that his hands were tightly clenched into fists, it was already too late; the Inquisitor turned sharply to look at him and he cursed himself for being so careless with his emotions. The creature moved uncomfortably close and observed him from head to toe, a sly smile on his face. Rex steeled himself; the man’s appearance was designed to inspire terror, his simple gray and black armor in full contrast with a colorless face covered with scar-like marks, his icy-blue eyes piercing and cruel. He would probably have been terrified, if he hadn’t personally faced the likes of Ventress and Maul before.

“A _clone_ ,” the creature hissed, towering over him. “I sense your anger… Does it bother you that I’m finishing the task that you and your brothers left incomplete?”

“We followed orders to the best of our ability, sir.” _Easy now_ , Rex thought, soothing himself. _Don’t let him read you so easily._

“Of course you did,” the gray creature sneered. “That’s why I’m chasing a _survivor_ in some backwater planet. Tell me, clone, did you at least kill your Jedi?”

Rex swallowed. He couldn’t lie, and not just because this _thing_ would catch him in the act; lying was simply not one of his strengths. Trying not to dwell in the memories of what happened over a year ago, he hoped that his voice wouldn’t betray his thoughts and stared right into the creature’s cold eyes.

“Order 66 was quite _unavoidable_ , sir.” 

_There. Not a lie_. The Inquisitor seemed to weigh his words and then smiled broadly.

“Quite so,” he said, satisfied. “I wish the rest of the clones had been so compliant.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Captain Varsin asked, moving closer. “Did you find a survivor on this planet?”

“Not here,” the creature answered, turning to look at him. “Raada, a moon further down the hyperspace lane.”

“Right, I remember the report,” mused the captain. “But you didn’t really need to come here on your way to Raada...”

The creature grinned. “I’m giving the Jedi a head start.”

Captain Varsin said something about not taking too long to refuel the Inquisitor’s ship, but Rex had stopped listening to them, trying as best as he could to hide his shock.

Raada. The thing was heading to _Raada_ , and he knew exactly who was the Jedi he was talking about.

_Steady… steady…_ he tried to calm himself and was infinitely thankful that his distress could easily blend with the general atmosphere of fear around the creature. Once, he would’ve had the authority and the resources to take a ship and a couple of his men, and run to Ahsoka’s aid. General Skywalker himself would’ve _ordered_ him to take the entire 501st Battalion if necessary, in order to save his Padawan. But all he could do now was stand helplessly, watching as some stormtroopers loaded the last of the creature’s supplies into the ship, preparing for his departure. He resisted the urge to try his hand at killing the Inquisitor, what would be the point? He was no match for him and the best-case scenario was being mercilessly cut down by the gray creature’s blade. On the other hand, if the Inquisitor didn’t kill him and found out about his true motives, he would be taken as a prisoner to lure Ahsoka out of hiding.

He clenched his jaw; he knew all too well that action could sometimes make things worse, and he wouldn’t put Ahsoka in a situation where she would have to make an impossible choice. It was the very reason why they had parted ways, months ago.

_So this is it_ , he thought, a knot in his stomach. _This is life after Order 66. This thing is gonna try to kill her and I can’t do a damn thing about it._

He didn’t feel when Captain Varsin approached him, and only noticed his presence when the roar of the ship’s turbines announced that the Inquisitor was leaving the planet.

“You fought alongside the Jedi, didn’t you?” the captain asked him, lighting another cigarra. “Were they really so powerful that need to be hunted down like _this_?”

He nodded, noticing the hint of disgust in the captain’s voice. “They were. But I believe most of the survivors are only Padawans, we clones took care of the Jedi Knights.” 

“They should’ve remained as peacekeepers,” the captain said. “Playing at war and politics got them all killed in the end.”

Rex studied the man; he sounded almost disappointed, but then again a lot of people thought that the Jedi had lost their ways towards the end of the war. 

“I wouldn’t know,” he pointed. “I only ever knew them as war generals.” 

“Yes, of course. I never met any Jedi, but you hear the stories.” He shook his head. “I guess things are very different now.”

Not for the first time, Rex wondered about the captain and his real motives for joining the Empire. Even taking into account his past as a pirate, Klyn Varsin seemed like a fairly decent man, caring for his soldiers despite liking to pretend that everything he did was just to get a promotion. Rex respected that, and sometimes even wondered if they might have been friends under different circumstances. 

It was too bad that he couldn’t trust anyone anymore.

As the captain headed back to the barracks, Rex turned his eyes to the sky, in the direction where the Inquisitor’s ship had disappeared toward his destination. He would remain in this planet, training stormtroopers and writing reports until he’d served his time in the Empire, while Ahsoka would have to fight for her life over and over again, such was the fate of the Jedi. They both knew the day would come when one or the other would have to face real danger, alone, but knowing this didn’t make it any easier for him to turn around and return to the training grounds, his chest heavy with remorse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must thank Band of Brothers, The Village, Gabriel Faure and of course The Clone Wars for the wonderful and inspiring music that helped me write this chapter ^^u  
> Also, many, many thanks to everyone that's left kudos and comments, specially to Krystalslazz, Moritz, Blocko5678, heroesandhellbeasts, TheOtakuWithHazelEyes, jedi_witch, psychfanatic, ElizabethOlsenIsMySpiritAnimal and AhsokaTano16 :)  
> There are many things that I'd love to discuss with you all, but I really don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just have to channel Brandon Sanderson and pull a RAFO (Read And Find Out). Hopefully I can meet some of your expectations, or at least, write something entertaining!


	7. Chapter 7

The hooded man in the holocall looked familiar enough for Rex to pay full attention to him, despite his initial surprise. When the man spoke, his voice was decrepit and full of malice.

“Execute Order 66.”

It took Rex only a millisecond to realize in horror what just happened, but it was long enough for the surge of hatred that emerged from the right side of his brain, overtaking every corner of his mind with a single directive:

_ Destroy the Jedi. _

_ It’s in all of us, every clone _ , Fives’ voice came back to him, distant, unreachable, and a part of him knew that it was true, but he could barely hold on to the memory of his dearest brother dying in his arms, as his very conscience was being stomped on by an insistent reminder.

_ Good soldiers follow orders. _

“Yes, Lord Sidious.”

He’d spoken the words but he could barely even remember moving his lips at all, the inhibitor chip taking full control of his body, as he slowly but surely was losing his grip on reality. He tried to push back the invading presence when he heard the door opening behind him.

“Rex! It’s Anakin... I feel like something terrible has happened.”

_ No… Please, no... _

It took him all his will power to contain the murderous instinct that threatened to overpower him, his entire body shaking violently. 

_ Destroy the Jedi. _

He shut his eyes, sweating cold. 

_ Good soldiers follow orders. Destroy the Jedi. _

_ Not Ahsoka _ , he pleaded to the cruel voice in his mind.  _ Please, not Ahsoka... _

His body stopped following his orders altogether and he suddenly felt his limbs go numb, dropping his bucket to the floor, the distinct sound of radio communication signaling that the soldiers standing guard had received the order as well.

“Rex?”

Blasters were being pointed at her and he used the last of his inner strength to give one final order.

“No!” He turned to look at his men as they held their fire. “ _ I’ll  _ do it.” 

He’d meant to buy some time with his words, but now he realized that a part of him actually  _ wanted  _ to do the unthinkable. 

“Rex…” she gave him a concerned look. “What’s happening?”

“Stay back!” he pointed his deecees at her, barely holding himself. It was all he could do to weep silently in anticipation to the terrible crime he was about to commit, her frightened expression painfully engraved in his mind.

“Find him,” he managed to say, and it was both an order for his subconscious and a possible hint for the girl. 

_ Kill the Jedi. _

“Find him. Fives.” 

_ Kill her. _

“Find him!”

_ KILL HER. _

“FIVES!”

He fired his blasters, but the girl avoided the shooting coming from all directions and threw herself against him, pushing them both over the holotable and hitting his head on the hard surface, in an attempt to knock him down. Slowly coming back to his feet, he could hear the sound of blaster shots being deflected against her lightsabers, as the Jedi used her unnatural powers to close the door and lock them up.

“Rex!” she called him, trying to get his attention. It was no use; his men had received their orders and they were already coming at her from behind.

As the soldiers fired at her, the treacherous bitch showed her true colors and put them down one by one, his own shots being deflected back at his men. It didn’t matter; as long as she was killed, he was willing to make sacrifices.

He fired, and fired, and fired, his attention focused solely on the enemy before him, and soon it became too dark and full of smoke to even see what was going on.

“She’s down, she’s down!”

“Hold your fire! We got her!”

Carefully, blasters in hand, they approached the holotable to check on Tano’s corpse, only to find that she had smashed the ceiling with her lightsabers and escaped. So the traitor thought that she could outsmart him; she would regret not dying quickly when she could.

“Sir, are you alright?” one of the Coruscant Guards checked on him.

He placed one hand on his head, where a throbbing pain was making him feel slightly dizzy. “Fine… Just tired, that’s all.”

Why didn’t he execute her on sight? She’d been right in front of him, but for whatever reason he’d hesitated and missed the opportunity. 

Well. It wouldn’t happen again. 

He put on his helmet and deployed his men; Maul would be swiftly executed while the rest of his soldiers would search the ship section by section. There was simply no way for Ahsoka Tano to hide, and he secretly hoped that it would be  _ him  _ who made her pay for her crimes.

***

When the droid projected the hologram and he saw her image, the first thing he did was trying to identify anything that would reveal her current location; but her voice was pleading and her words strangely resonated with him, and for a moment he considered that maybe she was telling the truth. At least, a part of him believed that.

“Your mind was altered to do this when you were very young,” the girl said. “I can help you.”

_ The Jedi betrayed us. _

_ Good soldiers follow orders. _

Yeah, it was all a pile of nonsense.

“Where is she?” he pointed his blaster at the droid, his patience wearing thin.

“I’m right here.”

He turned around to face her, ready to shoot, but suddenly his body was in excruciating pain.

And then, there was only darkness.

***

A pleasant,  _ flowing  _ sensation nudged his mind.

He was dimly aware of soft fingers gently pressed against his temples, and though his eyes remained closed, he felt that he recognized that touch, compassionate and caring. A cherished voice whispered to him from afar, calm and soothing, her words like a mantra.

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."

He  _ knew  _ that voice, and it was like a candle in the dark, a light so pure and delicate that he allowed his mind go to her encounter, weak and broken as he was. 

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."

When his consciousness met her, it was like being embraced by the dearest of friends, love and comfort pouring into his heart, and he could almost  _ see  _ the Togruta girl bending over him, her eyes closed. 

His own voice joined her chanting. 

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."

And he was! He really  _ was  _ one with the Force that binds all living things, and he felt deeply humbled that she would let a clone such as himself experience the wholeness that was this immense power.

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."

Gently, lovingly, she guided him through their connection, soothing away all his fears, letting him know that it was alright for him to be part of this moment.

Trusting her completely, he let her enter his thoughts, her presence caring yet  _ strong _ . 

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."

Their voices became as one as she carefully probed his mind, and he could feel through their connection the exact moment when she found it: the source of his unending rage. 

He felt her relief wash over him, a sweet tenderness lingering behind as she softly withdrew her presence and he once again plunged into darkness.

***

The sound of blasters and the unmistakable humming of a lightsaber stirred his consciousness. His head hurt and his mind was still foggy, but his instincts kicked in quickly as he was already reaching for his deecees. 

“The door!”

He couldn't quite put a name to the girl who was shouting in distress, but he knew in every cell of his body that he needed to wake up and help her,  _ now _ .

“G-G! The door!”

He straightened up ready to shoot, but even with his eyes wide open he found himself surrounded by the deepest of darkness.

_ What… where? _

_ Where am I? _

Breathing fast, he tried to assess his surroundings, the sounds of battle a fading echo in his ears. He’d been in the medical bay aboard the Venator star destroyer and then he was shooting at his own brothers…

_ We crashed _ , he remembered, placing one hand on his sweaty forehead.  _ We crashed but we didn’t die… we managed to escape... _

_ We…  _ who else had been with him?

_ Ahsoka! Where's Ahsoka? _

Desperate, he panicked for a moment when he couldn't feel her small figure curled up against him, until he realized that they weren’t sleeping in a makeshift tent under their Y-Wing anymore, beaten and frightened. 

_ We parted ways _ , he thought, forcing his mind to remember.  _ It's been over a year...  _

Slowly, his eyes accustomed themselves to the dark and he could distinguishing the faint silhouettes of the fixtures in his plain Imperial quarters; his narrow bunk, a sink, a weapons crate, his console station.  _ This is real _ , he tried to calm himself.  _ This place, this moment… this is real…  _

But the ghosts of his past crept into his reality with unparalleled force. He held his head on his hands and shut his eyes as he tried to fight back the memories; his brothers, dead and ruined beyond recognition amid the remains of the star destroyer; his calloused and grimy hands after hours of digging one grave after the other; Ahsoka, small and defeated as he’d never seen her before, her hopes crushed once they’d realized that there were no survivors; and the horrible  _ stench _ …

Tears streamed down his cheeks; he’d been trained to be immune to this… he’d been  _ bred  _ to be immune to this… but he’d been holding back for too long.

His whole body trembled as he sobbed uncontrollably, emotion management procedures be damned. He’d let them down, all of them; he’d been an arrogant fool, showing off the jaig eyes on his helmet as if he were some kind of hero, when he couldn’t even save his men, much less the Padawan girl he was supposed to protect. They’d died because he wasn’t strong, because he didn’t  _ listen…  _ and now he was completely  _ alone _ , like no clone should ever be. No Fives to cheer him up, no Echo to offer him advice, no Jesse to put him back together after a rough day.

Jesse… who had died hating him to the last of his breath.

_ They may be willing to die, but I’m not the one who’s going to kill them. _

The echo of her words shook him deeply; he’d been willing to kill his brothers and die just to ensure that Ahsoka Tano lived to see another day, but she’d showed him a different way. Hers was the way of  _ compassion  _ and only then did he understand the true nature of a Jedi. She loved his brothers, of course she wouldn't’ hurt them… and he was forced to shed the mask of the competent soldier to admit that he couldn’t hurt them either, not without tearing his soul apart. 

She’d tried to save his men, _ her men _ , and he’d let that  _ monster  _ go and hunt her...

Deeply ashamed, he braced himself and clung to the only possible source of comfort and solace he could think of in this dark moment. Clones weren’t spiritual men by definition, their sole purpose being perfect soldiers for a pointless war. But he knew better, he’d caught a glimpse of a power much grander that he’d ever imagined, thanks to a girl who could’ve just easily left him to die with the others.

_ Let her live _ , he pleaded, not sure if anyone was even listening.  _ They’re all dead, but please let her live... _

Allowing his tears to cleanse his sorrow as the darkness closed in around him, he dared to hope that he would find the strength to go on, and closing his eyes, he whispered the words of the only prayer he’d ever known.

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter soundtrack: mostly Gabriel Fauré, recommended tracks on Spotify, especially Après un rêve Op.7. No. 1 for the Force scene).
> 
> OK, everybody, we've hit rock bottom! (at least for now) So, we all know what that means :)  
> As always, thanks to each and every one of you who've read this story, left kudos, commented, etc. Next chapter is coming soon!


	8. BREAKING NEWS

HOLONET NEWS ALERT

An unfortunate event has occurred in the distant moon of Raada, located in the Outer Rim sector.

Terrorists under the command of a fugitive Jedi Padawan have wreaked havoc and destroyed the local plantations, jeopardizing the food supply chain which sustains the lifestyle of many small planets loyal to the Empire. The anarchists released a number of dangerous criminals before their escape, but citizens can be rest assured that the Jedi traitor and her followers will be captured and punished. In the meantime, to ensure the safety and well being of our people, civilian travels and communications to Raada have been suspended.

Remember: if you witness any suspicious activities in your community, it is your duty to report it to your local Security Enforcement Office. Think of the good of the Galaxy; if you see something, say something.

Your Empire thanks you.


	9. Server status <port 655>: LISTENING

Begin signal scan. This process will take some time.

Beginning verification phase of signal scan.

Verification returns error code 204: Unknown

Connected to 178.0.112.345. –åBf}ä 5&$&$?_@/ Ä½írÛH’(úûöS`5'ÚîØ–D|zÚž (ÊR[”´$m¹gcc"!-à dyïØw¸¿nÄ9/

Error: 0x500f081f - Could not identify sender.

Page 65732: InitRecovery() returns error code 13

System verification found corrupt data but was unable to fix some of them.

The file or directory IPdÖÌ9Û–}ä_@53214_09987.LOG is corrupt. Access denied. 

Some data may be lost.

So_

Fulcrum, is it?_

> It’s a good name. Don’t make fun of me.

I wouldn’t dare_

> I bet you’re laughing right now.

_

> I knew it.

Does your new employer know who you really are?_

> Yes, but it's okay.

I don’t really trust people in his line of work, you know_

> Yeah, I remember you both were so much alike in that respect.

For a reason_

> He’s a good one. Trust me.

Whatever you say_

> I think you’d actually like him. When things settle a bit, you should come and meet him.

I don’t think I can. I have a lead_

> Really? 

Yeah. Takes me a little bit too close to Coruscant for my taste, but it’s worth giving it a try_

> Be careful over there. 

Always_

> I really hope you find them.

Yeah, me too_ 

> Shoot. I don't think I'll be getting near Coruscant anytime soon, you know.

Don't even think about it_

> It would be nice, seeing each other again.

And very dangerous_

> Well, at least one of us misses the other.

Don’t say that. I'm right here_

> You know what I mean.

> I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

> I had a lot of issues recently.

Figured that much_

You had me worried for a moment there_

> I’m better now. I promise.

I’ll be standing by, either way_

Just in case_

> Come to think of it, maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea having me around.

What do you mean?_ 

> I... might trigger some unpleasant memories in your friends.

_

_

Right_

> Will you let me know if you find anyone?

I thought I was not supposed to contact you_

>

> I will send one of my agents.

Now that’s fancy talking_

You have your very own agents_

I’m impressed_

> Shut up.

Yes, sir_

> And try not to blast my agent when he finds you.

Why, are you sending me a clanker?_

> Maybe.

Ha. That brings back memories_

> Please?

I’ll try my best_


	10. Chapter 10

In his defense, he didn’t shoot the droid.

Gregor did.

The poor lad had reacted in the worst way possible when he saw the clanker, and fired his blaster rifle until there was nothing left but a bunch of charred, twisted metal parts. As the droid exploded into pieces, Rex could almost  _ hear  _ Ahsoka’s words in his mind:  _ “Try not to blast my agent…” _

_ Kriffing hell. _

Next to him, Gregor cheered and hooted, undoubtedly recreating in his head another solid victory for the Grand Army of the Republic, and Rex had a hard time trying to pull him back into their lodging while carrying the droid’s pieces in his arms, worried that the noise would definitely attract some unwanted attention. Using reprogrammed B1s as messenger droids wasn’t too uncommon in Core planets such as Hosnian Prime, where the black market for war  _ souvenirs  _ thrived thanks to a population that knew nothing but comfort and leisure, thinking that it was some funny joke to employ deactivated battle droids to do menial tasks. Rex didn’t feel any love for the Empire and everything it encompassed after a year serving in the Imperial army, but now that he was officially retired, he could witness firsthand the arrogance and lack of empathy of those who took their privileges for granted. The problem was, deep down he knew that it wasn’t entirely the Empire’s fault; these people probably had the exact same attitude when the Republic was the ruling government.

He unloaded the droid parts on a small table in the center of the room, trying to figure out if it could actually be repaired after Gregor’s impeccable shooting. He didn’t blame him; his brother’s madness had good days and bad days, and the droid was unfortunate enough to show up at their doorstep during one of his delirious phases. Besides, one thing was for sure: Gregor’s mental instability had saved his life.

The former clone commando managed to survive a nasty battle on the planet Abafar, single-handedly engaging in a firefight against Separatist droids while covering for Colonel Meebur Gascon’s escape, and months later ended up back in Coruscant where his heroic deeds earned him the rank of Commander. But his head had been severely injured and by the time Order 66 was issued, his already damaged chip didn’t activate, so he watched in horror as his brothers became mindless soldiers and the Jedi were executed. His erratic behavior was then attributed to his mental condition, and being the war hero that he was, the Empire had been generous enough to not shoot him down as a traitor, instead granting him an  _ early retirement _ and a meager pension, which he used to travel and start a new life from scratch. It was already more than the Republic would ever give a clone, Rex hated to admit.

When word of a former clone trooper working at some shoddy restaurant in the Hosnian System reached him, Rex knew where to begin his search. He didn’t know much about this brother, only that his name was Gregor and his head wasn’t really working as it should, so it was quite a surprise when he found him as the happy owner of a little diner in the lower districts of Hosnian Prime. It was the perfect location for a lonely clone; workers, refugees and outcasts didn't much care who prepared their meal, as long as it was hot and it didn’t try to bite them.

It took some time and patience to earn Gregor’s trust, but in the end Rex managed to convince him that he was  _ not  _ just another brainwashed clone and his intentions were actually good. He helped to remove Gregor’s chip for good measure, hiring some underground surgeon to keep matters in relative secrecy. It was a simple procedure, really, and this time Rex knew exactly what he was looking for in the scans. That surgeon was now privy to key information about the clones, not that it would ever be of much use; the truth of Order 66 was too much to handle for his retired brothers, and many had decided to end their own lives at the realization of their role in the extermination of the Jedi.

All in all, it seemed that the great losers of the war had been the soldiers who lived and died for the Republic, and Rex wondered how many of his brothers he would be able to find.

_ Alright, this should be enough _ . He reassembled the droid as best as he could and connected its motherboard to an old terminal, patiently waiting for the machine to reboot the system. He was no droid expert, but he did have experience scavenging clankers for the information he needed. He cringed a bit at the droid’s general appearance, its pieces blackened and barely holding in place; his work was rather rough around the edges, but he hoped that whoever owned this droid would at least appreciate the effort.

“I’m really sorry, Rex.” Gregor approached him sheepishly, and Rex noticed that his brother’s insanity seemed to have subdued for the moment.

“It’s alright, I probably should’ve warned you,” Rex told him, watching as the droid’s internal memory loaded packets of information into their computer. “I was expecting a visit from a droid. Sort of.”

Gregor cocked his head, puzzled. “Why use a battle droid, though? We’re  _ clones!  _ Of course I would blast it!”

“Because,” Rex grinned, patting the droid’s chest, “this piece of junk hides some secrets only veterans like us could reveal.”

Gregor beamed. “A message from your friend?”

Rex winked at him; he’d trusted Gregor with the story of how he and Ahsoka had escaped, and his brother had been truly distressed about their decision to go separate ways, arguing that in times like these friends should’ve stayed together. It was only when Rex assured him that they still managed to keep in touch that Gregor seemed to relax a little. The simplest details could change his brother’s mood, and Rex noticed that telling him stories about his many campaigns with Ahsoka and General Skywalker cheered him up, often listening to their exciting adventures - as he called them - with childish abandon.

At last, a string of letters and numbers written in GAR code appeared on the monitor, and Rex made a mental note of its contents as he plugged their small holoprojector into the terminal. He then adjusted the transmission frequency according to the droid’s data and patiently waited until the confirmation of an incoming communication appeared on screen.

He briefly noticed his hand trembling as he pressed the button to accept the transmission, and after a few seconds of signal interference, the hologram image of a hooded figure buzzed in front of him.

“I see that the droid survived,” the holo figure said in a digitally distorted voice. “Thank you, they're really expensive.”

Rex eyed the droid; someone was in for quite a surprise.

The robed figure then deactivated the voice modulator and removed the hood, slowly revealing a pair of montrals larger than Rex remembered and a round face he’d longed to see for a while now. She smiled brightly.

“Hello, Rex.”

He didn’t even try to suppress the wide grin on his face; after over two years, he was finally listening to Ahsoka’s voice and seeing her face once again, even if it was just on a holocall. Knowing that the girl had survived so far just wasn’t the same as actually seeing her, alive and well.

“Commander,” he greeted her, a twinkle in his eye.

She raised an eyebrow. “I thought we’d agreed not to retort to outdated ranks with each other,  _ Captain _ .”

“And I thought you already knew my opinion on that matter,  _ Commander _ ,” he teased her.

She chuckled. “I’ve really missed you, Rexter.”

“Yeah, me too, kid.” 

There were so many things they probably wanted to talk about, but there was something Rex needed to do before any of that. Gregor was still feeling down about shooting the droid and he hoped to brighten his brother’s day a little.

“I remember you wanted to know if I found any of my brothers,” he told her. “Well, there’s someone here who wants to meet you.”

He motioned for Gregor to come closer and after a moment’s hesitation, the lad’s face lightened up and he seemed beyond himself with excitement. He moved closer to Rex and peered into the hologram. 

“Uhm, hello,” he greeted her, shyly. “The name’s Gregor and I’m already something of a fan of yours, Commander Tano.”

“Really?” she glanced at Rex. “Why?”

“Rex talked to me a lot about you and General Skywalker, you really are something, ma’am.”

She snorted. “Don’t believe a word of what he says, Gregor. I’m sure Rex is just overplaying it a bit.”

“I’m not exaggerating, if that’s what you’re implying,” Rex shrugged. “You  _ did  _ jump from that gunship with no jetpack on, remember? And she still beat me-” he turned to look at Gregor and stopped when he noticed that his brother was crying.

"Are you alright?" Rex asked, genuinely worried.

"I'm fine… it's just,” Gregor wiped his tears away, “I never thought I'll ever see a Jedi again, that’s all."

At a loss for words, Rex reached out and pulled him closer for comfort; things were definitely  _ not  _ going according to plan.  _ So much for wanting to cheer him up... _

Cody’s words, spoken over a lifetime ago, returned to his mind:  _ “Sometimes in war, it’s hard to be the one that survives.” _

_ I know,  _ he thought, as he squeezed Gregor’s shoulder for reassurance. _ I’ve been down there too. _

"I'm sorry,” Gregor finally said, managing a faint smile. “This is no time for this. I'll leave you two guys to talk, you have a lot of catchin' up to do."

“It really is no problem,” Rex offered, but Gregor just patted him on the shoulder, a gentle smile on his face.

“Thank you, Rex. Thank you.”

As Gregor left for his quarters, Rex turned to look at Ahsoka who lowered her eyes, visibly moved. "It is as I feared,” she said, a hint of regret in her voice. “Is he gonna be alright?"

"Yeah… you know how it is, we all have our wounds."

"We do,” she seemed to reflect for a moment. “But who knows? Maybe one day we'll allow ourselves some time to heal, after all."

Rex nodded and pondered on her words for a while, as Ahsoka went on telling him in full detail all about the arrangements leading to the droid knocking on their door. 

Was it really possible? Could he, Ahsoka and Gregor, ever find peace?

A time to heal, she’d said. 

He really liked the sound of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ennio Morricone has died today :( This chapter was finished while listening to his wonderful music on Spotify, especially "Malena", a beautiful song that accompanies the second half of this chapter. If you don't know the work of this talented composer, I strongly encourage you to listen to his amazing legacy.  
> Of course, this chapter is dedicated to him.  
> Thanks for the patience, it's been two rough weeks at work but now I'm back on track :)


	11. Chapter 11

It was a surprise when they first contacted him. 

He’d checked the Imperial records back in the day and didn’t find much about these particular clones, other than they had vanished right after the Jedi Purge. It was probably for the better; they would’ve been marked for swift termination under the new regime. The Empire would not suffer defective clones within its ranks, no matter that Clone Force 99 had proven time and time again to be a valuable asset in particularly difficult missions.

It was Echo, of course, who contacted him on behalf of the _Bad Batch_ , as they liked to call themselves, and after the exhilaration of finding out that they were still alive came the concern about their current status: they’d become fugitives, mercenaries, living their lives always on the run.

“Fives saved us,” Echo said when they all reunited in their headquarters, an abandoned shipyard on some distant moon. “We didn’t really have time to talk after you rescued me and I figured something had happened to Fives, so Tech and I did a little investigation.”

“It was a mess,” Rex said, apologetically. “I should’ve told you, but it was hardly the right moment…”

“Of course,” Echo agreed. “But you did leave behind some valuable information in your grievance report, and it was only a matter of time before we knew what the inhibitor chip was really about.”

“We removed our chips,” Hunter joined the conversation and pointed to a faint scar on his head. “And not a moment too soon; we were already planning how to reveal our findings when Order 66 came through.”

Rex turned to look at the rest of the team, who were chatting leisurely with Gregor further away; Tech, Wrecker, Crosshair, they all looked ragged, tired but determined, their appearance slightly different, a mustache here, longer or darker hair there, and he realized that he was actually _glad_ that they had survived. 

“So, what do you need me for?” he asked, warily. “I don’t suppose you came out of the shadows just because you missed me.”

***

He joined them in some of their missions, mostly covering the logistics of their plans. It was an easy task for him, he knew a lot of people across the galaxy and some of them even owed him a favor or two, so whenever the Bad Batch needed additional support for a particularly difficult job, they knew they could count on Rex to get them what they needed.

The last mission, though, proved to be rather… complicated. 

“Our client has asked us to secure a certain individual for them,” Hunter briefed him, “but the Empire had been following the same lead."

“They’re holding our target in a facility located on the planet Corellia,” Tech added. “They seem to be waiting for something, or someone, before taking any actions.”

"Either way, we're not going to wait and find out,” Hunter said. “We need to move _now_.”

"And you need me for _what_ , exactly?" Rex asked. The Bad Batch already had a reputation in the days of the GAR, so he always made sure to listen carefully before committing to any plans.

"Codes," Crosshair said. " _Imperial_ codes."

“Normally, we would face this mission head on… you know our style,” Hunter smirked. “But this time, we figured we needed to borrow a page from your book, Captain."

Wrecker sighed next to him and Rex guessed that he wasn’t too happy with the idea.

“Well, if it’s codes that you need, I see no problem in that,” Rex said.

“Actually, we’re a little short-handed for the job,” Hunter said, and nodded to Gregor. “We were hoping that you two would join us this time. Nothing fancy, just a bit of backup support.”

Rex frowned; he’d made a point not to include Gregor in their missions, considering that he’d been making progress with his mental issues in a mostly peaceful environment back in Hosnian Prime. He turned to look at his brother and noticed a slight hesitation before he finally nodded.

“It should be fun,” Gregor said. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen some action.”

“Alright, then. We’re coming with you,” Rex said, and he hoped that he wouldn’t end up regretting this decision.

***

The Imperial facility was a fortified twelve-story building, well guarded and located in a highly populated zone deep within Coronet City. The plan was really simple: Hunter and Tech would disguise as stormtroopers and infiltrate the facility using Rex’s codes, while Crosshair would be on guard duty in case things went downhill, in a sniper position near the east side of the building, where the target was being held prisoner on the fifth floor. Once they were inside, they would let the rest of the team in through a garbage chute, while Rex and Gregor would keep watch in their hiding spot, in a tall building near the main entrance. Communications were key to the mission, so Rex, Echo and Tech had spent long hours the day before checking that their comlink devices were fully operational.

Things proceeded as planned and Rex thought that this might just be another successful mission for the Bad Batch, until he heard Crosshair curse in the comlink.

"Kriff's sake… we've got _company_."

Rex heard it before he actually saw it, a big black shuttle approaching the building and landing right on top of it. Gregor pointed his scopes towards the ship to get a better view and suddenly started trembling.

“Oh, no…” he said, his voice a whisper. “Oh, no, no…”

“What is it, Gregor?” Rex asked, moving closer.

“It’s them… oh, no, it’s _them_!”

Rex took the scopes from Gregor’s shaking hands, and as his brother moved further away, covering his head and muttering to himself, he focused the scopes on the dark figures that were descending from the shuttle, noticing their distinct black and red armor shining under the city’s neon lights.

“Those are _purge troopers_!” Rex hissed into his comlink. “Hunter! What the hell is going on?”

After a few long seconds of silence, Hunter’s answer came like a defeated sigh. “Our target is a Force sensitive girl. Her uncle wanted her out of Corellia, but her abilities caught the Empire’s attention before we could extract her.”

"Are you out of your mind?” Rex raged. “Do you know what those clones are capable of?"

"Of course I do," Hunter said, his voice dry with static. "Their commander is an old acquaintance of us."

Rex opened his eyes wide and once again focused the scopes on the shuttle. When the purge troopers stood in formation and saluted another black armored figure emerging from the ship, he felt a deep pit in his stomach. The commander’s armor looked almost exactly like the one his men were wearing, but there was a visor attached to the helmet and an antenna on the left shoulder, red stripes replacing the characteristic 212th orange. 

Rex covered his face with his hands. He didn’t need to ask; he’d recognize that armor and commanding pose anywhere.

“You didn’t bring me here just for the codes, did you?” he whispered bitterly into the comlink. 

“We’d hoped that he wouldn’t show up,” Hunter said, rather apologetically. “That we’d be long gone before he arrived.”

“But he _is_ here,” Rex reproached him. 

“Yes… and so are you. You’re the only one who can get us out of here _alive,_ Captain.”

Rex turned to check on Gregor, who was still trembling by his side, and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Gregor, can you get to the rendezvous point on your own?”

His brother focused his eyes on him and Rex cursed himself for bringing him to the mission; he was clearly not ready for this. “Yes. I think so,” Gregor said after a while, and Rex noticed that he seemed to get calmer with the idea of going somewhere safe.

“Good. Wait for me there, I’ll be right behind you.”

“What are you going to do?” Gregor asked, frightened.

“I have to get them out. Don’t worry, I won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

With Gregor gone, Rex pulled his ragged cape over his head and moved downstairs, taking cover behind a building right in front of the Imperial facility, where he could observe the purge troopers as they were standing guard in the perimeter. Their commander paced around giving them instructions, and Rex strained to hear what he was saying without revealing his position.

“Echo, Tech, give me ears,” he whispered into the comlink.

“On it,” Tech said, and after a brief moment Rex’s receiver was patched into the troopers’ frequency.

“No one enters or exits the building without level-A authorization,” the commander was saying. “We’ll secure the fifth level now and hold positions until the Inquisitorius arrives. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Did you guys hear that?” Rex asked. “This is going to get ugly.”

“We’re already on the sixth level, approaching the girl’s cell through the vent shaft,” Hunter’s voice chirred on the comlink.

“How much longer?”

“Just a couple of minutes, we’re almost there.”

Rex turned to look at the troopers and his eyes lingered on the figure of their stern commander. If he tried to get closer, would Cody recognize him, despite the mustache and the beard? He would know that he was a clone, of course, but would he know that it was _him_ , Rex, his friend and colleague?

 _There’s still a chance that it isn’t him under the bucket_ , he thought, but deep down he knew that he’d been deluding himself ever since he checked the Imperial records and found out about Cody’s gruesome part in the subjugation of Kashyyyk.

The sound of turbines got him out of his thoughts and he raised his head to see a black, stylized ship land atop the building.

“The Inquisitor is here,” Crosshair announced.

“The troopers are moving,” Rex warned. “Get the hell out of there!”

“Sod it, we’ve got the girl!” Wrecker protested.

Dammit. They needed a diversion _fast_. 

“Echo, patch me into the building’s closed circuit comms!”

Rex waited for Echo’s confirmation and cleared his throat.

“Attention, all personnel: this is a code eight-ninety nine. I repeat: code eight-ninety nine. Please proceed to your designated safe areas.”

Holding his breath, he peered around the wall and waited. A short moment later, he could hear the sound of the evacuation alarm as hundreds of people hurriedly came out of the building, much to the confusion of the purge troopers who couldn’t stop the mass of fleing Imperials. He grinned; that should keep them busy for a while.

“Crosshair, we’re ready for pickup,” Hunter said on the comlink. “Rex, we’ll meet you at the rendezvous point.”

“Roger that.”

He took one last look at the trooper commander, who was angrily barking orders to his men, and almost felt sorry for him. Soon, they would realize that the girl was missing and someone had fooled them using their own codes, and Rex wondered if Cody would recognize the touch of the Bad Batch in all that mess. 

_We’ll get you out of the Empire, brother_ , he thought before turning to leave. _I promise you that._

***

Gregor was doing noticeably better when Rex arrived at the meeting point, and they didn’t have to wait for too long before the rest of the team showed up. The girl was a little dark skinned thing riding piggyback on Wrecker's shoulders, her brown eyes wide and frightened, and Rex wondered why did the Empire go to such troubles just for a small child. He smiled to her in an attempt to cheer her up, but she turned her head away, clearly too afraid for any kind of friendly interaction. He didn’t blame her; it must be quite overwhelming to be rescued by the likes of the Bad Batch.

“Careful there, Captain,” Tech warned him. “She pulled a Force trick on Wrecker before we could even approach her.”

“Yeah, it still stings a little,” Wrecker complained, rubbing his head.

“I’m sorry,” the girl mumbled, hiding her head behind Wrecker’s massive neck.

"Oh, cheer up, girl," Crosshair said, walking next to her. "You'll be back with your uncle in no time."

As the three men took the girl to their ship, Hunter approached Rex for a brief chat.

“I’m sorry about what happened back there,” he apologized. “We really needed you for this mission and you wouldn’t have accepted if you knew Cody was involved.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t,” Rex said. “It’s too risky and there’s someone I need to protect."

Hunter turned to look at Gregor, who was sitting next to them, happily asking Echo all kinds of questions about the mission.

"It's alright, I understand," he finally said. “We got lucky, but you two were caught in the middle of the Jedi Purge. I guess some wounds need more time to heal.”

Rex nodded. Gregor’s wellbeing was another reason not to take any risks.

“So, this is it,” Hunter announced. “We’ll deliver the girl to her uncle now, and then… who knows.”

“You know where to find me,” Rex said. “But next time, don’t keep any relevant details from me.”

“Sure thing, Captain.” 

Hunter saluted him and turned to walk towards his ship, but stopped midstep. 

“By the way,” he said. “What was that code you used back there? The Imperials were running for their lives!”

Rex grinned widely. “Hazardous materials accident. Airborne toxic substances.”

The sergeant laughed out loud and shook his head as he walked away. Rex smiled; sometimes his plans did cause that kind of reaction on people.

As the rest of the Bad Batch prepared for departure, Echo moved closer to Rex to say his farewells.

“Thank you Rex. You saved the day, as always.”

Rex shrugged dismissively. “It’s nothing. Just another day assisting you, guys.”

Echo smiled and seemed to hesitate before speaking again.

"Say hello to Commander Tano for me. She's alive, yes? She’s the one you want to protect.”

Rex opened his eyes wide in shock. “How… how do you know that?”

"I’ve checked your records and traced your movements all the way back to your joint assignment to Mandalore and the subsequent crash of the Venator. It wasn't easy, but some details led me to believe that she wasn’t executed, and the Inquisitors’ activity in Thabeska and Raada matched my own personal conclusions. I take it that you both escaped together?”

Rex frowned, deeply concerned. "If you could figure it out, then someone else in the Empire can."

Echo pondered at this for a while. "I did the math and there was a small chance of 0,075 to 1 million." He grinned. "That’s why I deleted all compromising records about the two of you."

Rex let out a huge sigh of relief. "You're lifting a heavy burden off my shoulders, brother. Thank you."

“Keep her safe, Rex,” Echo said, solemnly. “She’s all that’s left for us.”

“I will,” Rex nodded. “Well… at least as much as she lets me, you know how she is.”

His brother smiled; of course he knew. 

With a final salute, Echo boarded the ship that would take the Bad Batch back to their client, and soon after Gregor and Rex were on their way back to Hosnian Prime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, "The Bad Batch" animated series has been announced and I'm really looking forward to it! :D Rumors say that Rex and Ahsoka will appear on this series, which would further deviate from the Ahsoka novel... that would be interesting.  
> Also, did you know that Cody was supposed to be an antagonist in "Star Wars Rebels"? When Thrawn realized that there were clones assisting the rebels, he would've summoned Cody to help him.  
> This story will not quite follow that premise, but every story needs an antagonist, so there you are :)  
> As always, thank you all for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

The gentle sound of rain tapping against the window accompanied Rex as he disassembled his blasters and cleaned each part separately, carefully checking that all pieces were in perfect condition before putting them back together. He didn’t really  _ need  _ to keep doing this procedure every night, but old habits really died hard. Besides, the monotonous task helped him pass the time and stay up late, waiting for a certain someone’s holocall. Soft snores came from the room next door, where Gregor was sleeping peacefully, and only then did Rex notice that he was feeling very tired, his muscles aching after a long day of packing and travelling. They had sold most of their belongings and left Hosnian Prime following the trail of one of their brothers, presently spending the night in a small inn before resuming their travel. 

The holoprojector resting on the night table beside him buzzed to life and her image greeted him with a cheeky grin.

“Wow, you’ve surely looked better, soldier!”

He shook his head and smiled; clearly he looked scruffier than he’d expected.

“It’s been a long day, Ahsoka,” he excused himself. “But I do have some interesting news.” 

“Did you find him?” she beamed expectantly.

“Yeah, it’s Wolffe alright. We should make contact with him early tomorrow.”

The way her face lightened up with the news lifted his spirit somehow; ever since he found out that Wolffe was alive and well, he’d been both excited and worried about contacting another one of his lost brothers. Approaching Gregor had been relatively easy, but he figured that every experience would present its own challenges. He also didn’t know if Wolffe had any part in General Plo Koon’s death; that would certainly complicate things. Ahsoka’s optimism, though, eased his apprehensions, if only for just a little. 

The girl had been contacting him every night during the past few weeks, and Rex had slowly grown accustomed to Ahsoka’s company, despite being systems apart. It made him feel at ease, knowing that she was safe despite the current state of affairs, and he cherished these rare periods of uninterrupted communication, when she didn’t have to go on any secret missions for the Rebellion, and he and Gregor could just live their lives leisurely.

“...I think you would like it here,” the girl was saying moments later, as he finished cleaning his blasters. “They have all sorts of weapons and ships, and they could use your battle experience.”

Rex smiled; Ahsoka had been tentatively trying to recruit him for Bail Organa’s rebel cell for a few days now, with no success. He couldn’t bring himself to fight for the Rebellion, not while most of his brothers were still in active service within the Empire ranks. 

“One day, maybe,” he simply said, focusing on the blaster in his hands. “I don’t think Gregor is ready to jump back into action, and we still don’t know about Wolffe.”

“But that’s not the only reason, is it?”

He looked at her, rather taken aback; it was no secret that she’d learned to read him like an open book by now, but he didn’t expect her to notice his inner conflict even across the stars.

“No,” he finally admitted, lowering his eyes. “There’s also the matter of Cody…”

He hadn’t told her all the details about the encounter with his friend and brother, back during the mission with the Bad Batch. The fact that he was commanding the Purge Troopers was bad enough already, there was no need to talk about just how  _ inhuman  _ he seemed to Rex, even from afar.  _ I need to know the truth _ , he thought, his chest tightening.  _ I need to know that it’s just the inhibitor chip at work... _

“Approaching him won’t be easy, Rex,” she said soothingly. “But I believe, in time, you will find the answers that you seek.”

He couldn’t help but smile; she may not be able to reach out to him with the Force and ease his fears, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try.

“I’m sorry, Ahsoka,” he apologized. “You know I would go with you, under different circumstances.”

“It’s alright, Rex,” she waved her hand, dismissively. “Besides, the timing would be terrible; I’m going on another mission.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is it a long one?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, frustrated. “I will be off the radar for a while. You know, it’s been quite a challenge trying to make people actually work  _ together  _ for a cause.”

He chuckled. “Well, I hope you learned a thing or two about negotiations during your training.”

“Oh, I’m not Master Kenobi, that’s for sure,” she rolled her eyes and then smiled. “But I’ve managed to stay away from Anakin’s methods so far, so I guess that’s some progress.”

Rex smiled; the fact that she could remember her masters fondly after everything that happened was definitely a good sign.

“Well, be careful out there,” he finally said. "Next time we talk, I should have another brother here to greet you."

“And good luck to you; maybe next time you will reconsider joining the cause,” she said, a glint in her eye.

He shook his head, defeated. “Alright, I’ll think about it.”

“That's all I wanted to hear," she smiled satisfied. "May the Force be with you, Rex.” Ahsoka’s image buzzed and faded as she ended the call, and Rex smiled to himself. Maybe he  _ would  _ change his mind one day soon, if things went well with Wolffe and Gregor wanted to join the battle, but despite Ahsoka’s playful insistence, he knew she wasn’t really pressing him for an answer.

Right now, all he needed to do was focus on the task ahead of him: rejoining with his missing brothers. 

There would be time later to give her an answer.


	13. Chapter 13

“Wolffe, any news?”

“Nothing, Rex. The comlink’s been quiet all day.”

Rex frowned; he hadn’t heard from Ahsoka for the better part of six months now, and though he knew she would be away on a long mission for the Rebellion, he couldn’t help but to feel a little bit restless about her extended absence. _She’s probably alright_ , he thought, reassuring himself. _She’ll be back when I least expect it_. 

Putting his worries aside, he gently patted Wolffe’s shoulder on his way out. “We better get going, can’t be late for our meeting.”

Gregor was waiting for them just outside the small bunker they called home nowadays, and together they set out on their way to the designated rendezvous point, just around the corner of the city’s cantina.

“So… who’s the guy we’re meeting now?” Wolffe asked.

“Some mechanic who can get us a nice, refurbished ship,” Rex answered. “Rumor has it he’s the best in town.”

Wolffe snorted. “That shouldn’t be too hard in a place like this.”

Rex agreed; they’ve chosen Nevarro as their temporary base of operations, hoping that three officially retired clone troopers wouldn’t get much attention in a planet loosely controlled by the Empire, and for the most part their plan had worked nicely; active troopers simply regarded them as ‘old’ war veterans, ignoring them entirely, while the general population avoided them just as they did the rest of the troopers. But soon they grew weary of the blatant corruption slithering its way underneath government, merchants and citizens alike, and found themselves in need of their own ship to leave the planet and finally gain some degree of independence. The task had proven much more difficult than expected; turns out it was easier to find a skilled mercenary in the city than a functional transport for sale.

“He doesn’t seem to be here just yet,” observed Gregor, as soon as they arrived. “What does he look like again?”

“I have no idea,” said Rex. “All I know is that his name is Quarrie and he should be here waiting for us.”

They turned to look in every direction but didn't see anyone particularly looking like they had been waiting for a while, and Rex shuffled uncomfortably; his sources seemed serious about this guy…

"When they told me I’d be dealing with clones," a rasping voice said behind them, "I didn't expect to meet a bunch of rugged men."

The three of them turned around and found themselves looking down at a very short and ageing Mon Calamari.

“ _You_ are Quarrie?” Rex asked, incredulous.

“Ha! Not quite what you expected, I’d wagger?” The Mon Calamari grinned. “Well, you won’t find a better engineer on the whole planet, boy, so you’d better get used to it!”

“Well, we’re not really looking for an _engineer_ ,” Rex said, sharing a look with his brothers. “We just need someone who can sell us a ship.”

“Can’t get your own ship in a place like this unless you’ve got enough credits to spend,” Quarrie shrugged, “and you don’t seem to me like the spending kind. _Building_ you a ship, on the other hand, would be much cheaper if you know what to look for, and I know exactly the kind of ship you’d like.”

“And what would _that_ be?” Wolffe asked, impatient.

“A Republic Attack Shuttle sounds good enough for you, kid?”

The three clones shuffled; what did he just say?

“A refurbished one, of course," the Mon Calamari continued. "You don't want anything too fancy, unless you want to get a lot of attention from bounty hunters and the like..."

"Wait a second," Rex interrupted him. "Are you saying you have access to _Republic_ ships just like that? What about the Imperials?"

The Mon Calamari snorted. “The Empire couldn't care less about old, outdated ships! Most of them were already disassembled for parts and pieces, but I know how to get my hands onto some rare, functional vehicles...”

Dumbfounded, Rex turned to look at his brothers, and while Wolffe raised a suspicious eyebrow, Gregor cheerfully slapped him on the back.

"Think about that!" Gregor hooted. "Our very own shuttle, just like the old times!"

"I don't know if we can even _pay_ for that…" Rex hesitated.

"Oh, you can do some odd jobs here and there for me, if you don't have the credits," Quarrie waved a dismissive hand. "To tell you the truth, working on one of the old ships is almost payment enough for me. They don't make them like they used to, Republic engineering was on a whole different level… it would take _years_ for the Empire to come even close to that."

Barely containing his enthusiasm, Gregor grinned at Rex and wiggled his eyebrows, while Wolffe just grunted. Rex sighed; an attack shuttle was a bit over the top for his taste, but he had to admit that the idea of flying one of those babes again was really endearing.

"Alright, if we really don't have much of a choice…" he conceded.

"Believe me, it'd be a lot easier than trying to get a new ship for you," Quarrie nodded. “The pricing alone is ridiculous!”

"It's a deal, then,” Rex announced. “We'll take the shuttle… and we'll talk about your payment conditions."

“You won’t regret this, boy,” Quarrie shook his hand enthusiastically. “I’ll go make a few calls and I’ll get back to you, so keep an eye on your comlink, yes?”

As the Mon Calamari happily went about his business, Wolffe took Rex by his arm and moved him further apart, away from prying eyes.

“I don’t like this,” he whispered. “He’s clearly anti-Empire, we could get into trouble.”

“We’re just doing business, Wolffe,” Rex soothed him. “It’s not like we’re joining the Rebellion or something.”

“But what do we know about this guy?” Wolffe insisted. “What if he _is_ part of a rebel cell? The Empire would never let us go!”

“Do you honestly believe that a rebel sympathizer would show himself just like that in a city brimming with Imperials?” Rex reasoned. “The guy’s alright; he may not like the Empire much, but neither do we-”

“Don’t say it out loud!” Wolffe hissed. “You have to be careful, Rex, it’s all too risky… this guy… your Jedi…”

He looked at him, puzzled. “My Jedi?”

“Skywalker’s Padawan!” he insisted. “The girl! What if she betrays us?”

“You mean _Commander Tano_?” Suddenly feeling very angry, Rex shook his arm free from Wolffe’s grasp. “She would never do that! She’s got her own problems with the Empire, so keep her out of this.”

“She’s special to you, I get it, but you have to admit she’s dange-”

“I have a _duty_ to protect her, Wolffe,” Rex hissed. “And wherever she is, she’s also protecting _us_ , like she always has. You should know this, General Plo Koon was very fond of her.”

“You still think I did it, don’t you?” Wolffe suddenly reproached him. “I didn't kill him! It wasn’t me, I told you already!”

“What? Wolffe, I don’t-”

“I swear I didn’t!” 

“Of course you didn’t, brother,” Rex comforted him, sharing a concerned look with Gregor. “You weren’t even there, remember? You were stationed in the barracks.”

“Yes…” Wolffe closed his eyes, reminiscing. “It was the squadron boys that shot him down, didn’t they? But… what did I do, then? Where was I…?”

“It doesn’t matter, Wolffe,” Rex insisted. “We removed your chip, remember? You’re safe now.”

Deeply worried, Rex frowned as Wolffe slowly opened his eyes and looked at him as if he were coming back from a long dream. “Yes… of course. I’m sorry, Rex, I shouldn’t… if you trust this guy, I’ll follow your lead.”

“It’s alright,” Rex smiled. “As far as I know, he seems like a pretty decent fellow. Either way, we’re in this together; we have one another’s back, remember that.”

Wolffe nodded and smiled appreciatively, and not for the first time Rex wondered about the many scars the war had left on all of them.

“I think it’s time we go for a drink,” Gregor offered, nodding towards the cantina, and both Wolffe and Rex agreed wholeheartedly; they definitely needed something to lift their spirits.

  
  


This early in the afternoon it was easy to find a nice, private table where they could talk freely, and soon their mood improved, mostly thanks to Gregor’s light-hearted conversation.

“Our own ship! Think of all the things we could do!” he said, brimming with excitement. “No more asking for passage to go somewhere else, no more bribes to let three clones board a transport…” 

“Supposing we can pay for it,” Rex reminded him, taking a sip from his beer.

“Of course we can! I mean, it’s not like we spend much money, anyway. We clones know how to live with the bare minimum to survive.”

“Gregor’s got a point,” Wolffe agreed. “It may not seem much for someone else, but I’ve never had money of my own, so most of the time I don’t even _know_ what to do with it.”

Rex mused on that. It had been quite a change for him as well, learning to make his own money and _spending_ it. The Republic had taken care of the clones’ everyday needs and they never wanted for a roof, a hot meal, clothing and the occasional drink at 79’s. Independence had meant that he’d had to worry about rent, food, traveling expenses and such, and above all, to learn to _value_ his own work, and more often than not he felt a bit like a teenager, leaving his parents’ home and living on his own for the first time, which was oddly fitting considering his biological age.

“So, assuming that we get our ship,” he finally said, “where should we go? The possibilities are endless.”

“Oh, I know _exactly_ where I want to go,” Gregor said with enthusiasm. “I say we find ourselves a warm planet with a nice beach and a blue ocean, and spend our days swimming and bathing in the sun.”

Wolffe snorted at that. “Why waste our lives doing nothing when we’re still in our prime? I say we go _hunting_ ; there are many beasts causing trouble in the galaxy, krayt dragons, rathtars, you name it. We could offer our services and make a lot of money, and _then_ we could go to Gregor’s beach planet.”

“We could rest for a while and _then_ go beast hunting,” Gregor shrugged.

“And what about you, Rex?” Wolffe turned to him. “What do _you_ want?”

Rex opened his mouth to answer but hesitated; what did he want? It wasn’t the first time someone had thrown that question at him, and he felt a chill at the realization that he had no idea what he wanted in life. He was a _clone_ , his life had been decided for him the moment he was born, and though he’d made the conscious decision to keep fighting for the Republic and the values it represented, he never thought about the possibility of a life without war, without fighting. So, what _did_ he want? _I want my life back_ , he thought bitterly, but it was impossible to go back to the days fighting alongside his brothers, engaging in friendly banter with Ahsoka, serving under the command of Anakin Skywalker.

He sighed. “Maybe we can reach a compromise, do a little bit of both? I agree with Wolffe that we shouldn’t consider ourselves retired just yet, but I also agree with Gregor that we should find a balance and give ourselves some time to rest.”

Wolffe crossed his arms and nodded, seemingly satisfied with his response, and Gregor grinned in agreement. Good. At least they now had some direction, though deep down Rex knew that he hadn’t really answered the question of what he _really_ wanted in his life. 

  
  


***

Getting their own ship took a while longer and a lot more credits than they’d expected, but when Quarrie finally presented them with their very own _Nu_ -class shuttle, even Wolffe had a hard time trying to suppress a wide grin. The ship was a thing of beauty, the characteristic Republic colors removed and replaced with a polished metal look, and every little detail had been taken care of, from the comfortably cushioned pilots’ chairs to the smallest switch and button in the main console. 

“Quarrie… “ Rex said, scarcely believing his own eyes, “this exceeds all our expectations.”

The Mon Calamari grinned. “Give me a few more weeks and I could’ve thrown an AT-RT into the deal, but I guess this’ll have to do for now.”

Rex smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, I’ll make sure to let you know if we ever need some heavy transport in the future.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call, boy!” the Mon Calamari laughed. “Put a toy like this in a clone’s hand and soon he’ll be asking for another. Who knows? Maybe next time I can make you something of my own design.”

Shaking Quarrie’s hand appreciatively, Rex turned to join his brothers who were gleefully examining the shuttle’s features. He didn’t say anything, but he did notice that they were already imagining a new pattern of colors to embellish the ship’s hull, a distinctive mark that would identify her as their _own_ , and for the first time in many years Rex stopped to consider what it meant to be the sole master of his life. No war, no Rebellion, just him and his brothers, living a life as close to normal as they'd ever experienced. 

_Maybe next time you will reconsider joining the cause..._

He told her he would, but a life of freedom was offering itself to him on the polished wings of an attack shuttle, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Was it really so bad, wanting to roam the galaxy with his brothers, experiencing a life that’d always been denied to him? Besides, he hadn’t heard from Ahsoka for a while...

 _She must have a lot in her hands right now_ , he thought, as if to convince himself. _If she needs me, I'm sure she'll let me know, and I’ll be there for her no matter what._

His apprehensions somewhat sated, Rex followed Gregor and Wolffe up the frontal ramp into the shuttle, and smiled at the fluttering feeling of excitement that settled in his heart.


	14. Chapter 14

It happened a few months later, when they stopped for fuel and provisions on some planet deep into the Outer Rim. 

It’d been just another routine day in their travels, and they headed to the cantina to pass the time as they waited for their ship to be ready for departure. Rex glanced briefly at the communications console on their way out of the shuttle, and soured just slightly as he always did when he confirmed that there were no new messages waiting for him. 

The cantina was a small, dark thing, full to the brim with travellers from all corners of the galaxy, happily mingling with the few local imperials, and the three clones were lucky to squeeze themselves in at the last table available.

It was there that they met them… the young couple of travelers.

The Twi’lek woman approached them first, a wide grin on her face. “You don’t look too comfortable, big boys,” she said, cheekily. “Care to join me and my partner? We have plenty of room at our table.” She pointed across the room towards a man who raised a mug at them and nodded. 

Rex glanced at his brothers, who were looking at him pleadingly. “We could use some more space,” he finally said, and they followed the woman through the crowd of varied species until they reached their destination.

“Welcome,” the man greeted them. “My name is Kreeze and this is my wife, Oellia. We're always happy to meet new faces… or a single one, as it were.” 

“Thank you for your kindness,” Rex smiled stiffly. “We just wanted something to drink while we waited for our ship…”

“And here I thought you would stay for a while longer,” Oellia shared a look with her husband. “Maybe pay a visit to that guy...”

“Ah, dear, you can’t just assume that every clone is connected to one another,” Kreeze chided her playfully. “These are free men in search of adventure, I’m sure. This was just a chance meeting.”

“Wait. There’s another clone in this town?” Rex asked, suddenly intrigued.

“Why, yes,” the Twi’lek nodded. “Sniper. He owns a weapons shop and we’re meeting him later today, to do some business before we depart. You should come, I’m sure he would be really happy to see you!”

Rex turned to look at Gregor and Wolffe; so far they haven’t met a single clone in their travels, and the idea of reuniting with another brother clearly sparked their interest.

“Sounds like a plan,” Gregor approved.

“As long as we tread carefully,” Wolffe pointed. “We don’t know if he… you know.”

_ Of course _ ; they didn’t know if this Sniper had somehow evaded Order 66 or if he’d taken an active part in the Jedi purge, which would undoubtedly complicate matters. Still, it was worth taking a look.

“I don’t see any problem in staying a while longer,” Rex finally said. “It would be nice to meet another brother.”

“It’s settled then!” the Twi’lek announced happily, turning to look at her husband. “We should all take a tour of the city before our meeting.”

Kreeze shook his head and smiled. “Leave them alone, darling, I’m sure they have better things to do. Besides, I don't think there's much to look at, really…”

“Well,  _ I  _ think it sounds like  _ fun _ ,” Gregor said. “Come on, Rex, Wolffe; let’s go for a walk!”

“Oh, come on,” Wolffe grunted. “We just got here!” 

“I… we haven't even gotten our drinks, yet,” Rex complained, Gregor's youthful enthusiasm demanding more energy than he could possibly muster at the moment.

“Well, if you guys don’t really mind our company,” Kreeze offered helpfully, “we can all have a drink and  _ then _ go for a little walk, before we meet Sniper.”

Rex nodded appreciatively; eager as he was to go and meet one of his lost brothers, he needed some time to prepare a course of action, in case things didn’t turn out the way they wanted. So when their drinks finally arrived, he raised his mug to the welcoming couple, but kept mostly to himself as he mentally went over all possible scenarios.

***

Just as Kreeze had warned them, the small town didn't really have much to offer in terms of interesting attractions; rather, it was a vibrant spaceport, ships of all sizes and shapes coming and going in the span of mere minutes, the loud roar of engines making it somewhat difficult to talk.

“We arrived here a couple of days ago,” Kreeze was shouting above all the noise. “Our ship needed some repairs and a friend told us about this place. It was here that we learned about Sniper’s armory and decided to take a look.”

“It’s not easy, contacting him,” Oellia continued, “and it’s much more difficult convincing him to show you his  _ special  _ wares, what with the Empire sniffing around.” She chuckled. “Come to think of it, you’re very lucky to be coming along.”

Rex frowned. "Special wares?"

"Mostly heavy weight Republic armament, it seems," she said nonchalantly. "Some Imperial weapons as well. I guess he's using his contacts as a former soldier to get most of his stuff."

"And what is it that you hope to buy from him?" Rex asked.

"We're personally interested in upgrading our ship's cannons," the Twi'lek explained. "Life isn’t easy for a couple of hunters like us."

“So you’re bounty hunters?” Rex asked.

The Twi’lek chuckled lightly. “Oh, we’re hunters alright, though we don’t exactly do it for the bounty…”

Intrigued, Rex meant to ask for more details, but Oellia simply winked at him and put a finger to her lips, ending the conversation.

It was already dark when they reached the place where they would meet Sniper, a narrow alley behind one of the cargo warehouses, and soon after a solitary figure approached them, limping just slightly. Noticeably surprised by the presence of the three clones, the arriving man hesitated briefly before finally greeting the group.

"You should've told me you would come here in the company of brothers," Sniper said to the couple. "I would’ve given you a special treatment!”

“It was actually a chance meeting,” Kreeze said grinning, as Sniper moved closer to embrace the clones tightly.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen one of my brothers!” he beamed with excitement. “And you look remarkably well! Some of us weren’t so lucky, I’m afraid.” Sniper nodded to the mechanical prosthesis replacing his right leg.

“I’m really sorry about that,” Rex said. 

"It's alright," the man chuckled. "At least it earned me an early retirement. Come now! Let's go somewhere else so we can talk."

They followed Sniper down a few dark alleys and soon they reached a small passage behind an abandoned workshop. Motioning them to move into the shadows, Sniper turned to look in every direction to make sure that they were completely alone before kneeling down and revealing a secret entrance going underground, cleverly concealed in the workshop wooden floor.

Taking the lead as they climbed downstairs, Rex needed a few seconds to recover his bearings as he reached the enormous underground room, filled with blasters, rifles, cannons and all kinds of heavy weaponry.

“Son of a…”

"Like it much, do you?" Sniper asked him, securing the secret door above them as the rest of the group entered the room. "It took me a lot of pain and trouble to gather all this stuff, but right now I think this is one of the most complete armories in the whole of the Outer Rim."

"Indeed…" Kreeze said, regarding the vast collection with wide eyes. "The rumors weren't exaggerating, Sniper; this is quite the thing."

The clone grinned and slapped Kreeze on his back. “Let’s see if we can find those cannons of yours. You said you needed some RMs?”

“Yeah, and a couple of rapid-fire blasters, while we’re at it. Things are getting wild out there.”

As the two men and the Twi’lek moved further apart to examine the wares, Wolffe approached a wooden counter and gingerly picked up a battered, strange round helmet.

“Hey, what’s this?”

“Careful there, brother!” Sniper called him out. “That’s a relic you’re holding, a WJ-880 blinding helmet, straight outta Coruscant.”

Wolffe turned to look at Rex and he shrugged; he had absolutely no idea what that thing was. Sniper moved closer to them and picked up the helmet, smiling. “Yeah, there was no way we clones would’ve known about these things. This is a Jedi training helmet, apparently they used these as blindfolds of some kind.”

“How did you get your hands onto one of these?” Oellia asked, suddenly interested.

“There were a lot of  _ souvenirs  _ from the Jedi temple after the purge,” Sniper shrugged. “I think I got it from one of the boys at the 501st, I don’t really remember. That was a pretty busy day, after all...”

“Were you on active duty when the  _ order  _ came through?” Rex asked anxiously, already fearing the answer.

“Yeah… that was some ugly business,” Sniper lowered his eyes. “Me and the boys from the 101st later found out that it was all because of some chip in our heads, but what could we do, we were just following orders, right?”

Rex closed his eyes and cursed inwardly.  _ Kriff’s sake, they killed their Jedi… _

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turning uncomfortable, Wolffe turned to Rex and slowly shook his head. Rex nodded; having played an active part during the Jedi purge, there was simply no way they would invite Sniper to join their crew.

“Alright, we’ll be taking the cannons,” Kreeze announced, breaking the ice. “Do you think you can give us a hand taking them back to our ship?”

“I can even install them for you, kid, for a small fee.” 

“Now, there’s a man who knows how to do business,” Kreeze grinned. “How about we talk about those blasters now?”

Excusing himself, Sniper returned to the man’s side and Rex felt his throat tighten as Wolffe reverently placed the helmet back onto the counter.

Yeah, he’d noticed it too.

That helmet was small enough to fit a child.

***

The way back to the shipyard felt distinctly more tense, as Rex, Gregor and Wolffe tried their best to conceal their discomfort. The young couple observed patiently as their ship was prepared and Sniper administered the finishing touches to the brand new cannons, happily whistling to himself while moving about the hull.

Rex stepped closer to Oellia, who remained further apart as her husband supervised Sniper’s work.

“Those are some heavy weight weapons you’re installing,” Rex pointed. “Makes me wonder what kind of  _ game  _ you’re hunting.”

The Twi’lek chuckled. “If you really want to know, we’re chasing after criminals. Murderers. We hunt them down and make sure they get what they deserve.”

“Sounds like you’re taking justice into your own hands,” Rex frowned. “That could get you in trouble with the Empire.”

“The Empire couldn’t care less about these criminals,” she scoffed. “One could say they even  _ encourage  _ them. But it’s quite alright; though most of the days are pretty dull in this job, sometimes we just have to wait and the murderers find their way right into  _ us… _ ”

Something in the tone of her voice made Rex shudder, and he was suddenly very aware that this side of the port seemed particularly empty. They remained in silence for a long while, as Sniper powered up the cannons and performed a final test on the ship generator, Kreeze right by his side.

"It must feel so nice," Oellia suddenly said, her eyes fixed on the working clone. "Putting the events of that day behind you as if you had nothing to do with them. Don't you think, captain?"

A cold chill traveled up Rex’s spine and he slowly turned to face the Twi’lek.

"You are Captain Rex, aren’t you?” she chuckled, turning to look at him. “Your companions called you Rex, and there are no two clones with the same name. Tell me, did you kill Master Skywalker personally or did one of your soldiers execute him for you?"

He felt suddenly dizzy. "I… I didn’t..."

"It doesn't matter, either way," she said gloomily. "This is where your journey ends."

The distinctive sound of an ignited lightsaber cut the atmosphere as Rex watched in horror as Sniper fell to his knees, a teal-colored saber coming through his chest.

“No!”

Blaster fire landed just in time to distract Oellia as she ignited her very own lightsaber, and Rex ducked to safety as Wolffe kept firing at the Twi’lek, forcing her to move away. Grunting in rage, she deftly deflected back the laser fire with her saber and Rex moved out of pure instinct, his deecee already in his hand, firing at both Oellia and Kreeze, who was now approaching a shocked Gregor while he held Sniper’s corpse in his arms.

“Gregor, let’s go!” Rex shouted at him, and only then did his brother come out of his trance, drawing his own blaster and moving away from the Jedi.

“Murderers!” Oellia shouted as she followed them. “Don’t think you can escape our vengeance!”

The sound of an imperial alarm reached the clones as they forced their escape towards the warehouses, the Jedi getting dangerously close when the first stormtrooper patrol arrived.

“You, there! Drop your weapons!”

Oellia reached out with some effort and soon the first stormtrooper was hit by a nearby column of collapsing boxes. 

“Shoot them down!” Another patrol arrived from the west, firing relentlessly at the two Jedi.

“No, wait!” Rex’s protective instincts kicked in as Kreeze got hit in his right leg, collapsing on his knee. Though they were very talented, it was soon very clear that both Oellia and Kreeze were not really Jedi Knights, but rather advanced Padawans, and long-forgotten memories came back to Rex in full force.

He’d protected a Jedi once, a lifetime ago…

He’d also protected a Padawan...

“Rex, we have to go! Now!”

Wolffe’s commanding voice shook Rex to the core, and he gave one last look to the fallen Kreeze - Oellia desperately protecting him from the blaster fire - before turning around and fleeing towards their ship. More stormtroopers arrived, and deep down Rex knew that it wouldn’t bode well for any of them if three clones were captured in the battle.

Running up the ramp to their shuttle, Rex positioned himself in the pilot’s seat and initiated the launch sequence, his hands trembling.

_ Battle shock _ , he thought, as he nervously pressed buttons and pulled at levers. He’d managed to keep the nightmares and anxiety mostly at bay, but it was clear now that he was far from recovered.  _ Add that to Wolffe’s paranoia and Gregor’s bouts of madness… _

As the shuttle lifted from the ground, carrying them to the safety of open space, Wolffe made his way towards him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Gregor’s mostly fine, but he won’t stop weeping for Sniper,” he said.

Rex closed his eyes, full of regret.

“Do you see my point now?” Wolffe hissed. “We  _ must  _ be careful, Rex. It’s not just the shadows of our past that are hunting us, the surviving Jedi had joined the hunt as well. There’s no place safe for a clone, we  _ must  _ tread carefully.”

Rex sighed. He’d tried to stay mostly optimistic, believing that the worst chapter in their lives was already behind, but he’d been  _ so wrong _ .

He hated to admit it, but Wolffe was right.

To ensure his safety and that of his brothers, the Empire, the Jedi, the whole galaxy… everything needed to be left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that, for a Rexsoka fanfic, this one has a disturbing lack of Rex/Ahsoka interactions, but it's just that their relationship in canon is so weird! At least we can give our boy Rex some "me time", some space to grow as his own person.   
> We're getting closer, though, so hang in there just a little more :) Thank you all for reading!


End file.
